A Tale of Two Hearts (Rewrite)
by mitchkat1
Summary: Len is a prince cursed to live an emotionless existence. When rebellion forms, he is forced to flee his castle and finds himself in a small village, where everyone harbors a grudge against the prince. Rin, who lives in this village, finds Len and takes him in, not knowing he is the prince she hates. Len finds himself entering into daily village life, and maybe breaking his curse.
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is, ladies and gentlemen. The moment you've all been waiting for. After many months, I present to you the rewritten and COMPLETE version of A Tale of Two Hearts. I left this story without a proper ending a long time ago and wanted to fix it. It took a long time, but I finally did it. :)**

"Please," the old man cried, on his knees. His long gray hair draped his face, covering his wrinkles. He looked almost pitiful. "I will find a way to pay this month's taxes, I promise. I just need a few more days," he pleaded. The old man gazed up at his country's prince with a look of helplessness. The prince was a striking figure. He was a handsome young boy, only 13 years old, quite young to be ruling an entire kingdom. His blonde hair was tied back into a neat, small ponytail. His appearance was perfect, except for his cold blue eyes.

The prince's eyes showed his true nature as a menacing, heartless boy who cared only about himself. He leaned back in his golden throne and looked down at the sorry old man lying before him with a look of pure disgust. He despised dirty peasants who groveled at his feet. They all wanted the same thing from him, pity. Something they would never get.

This particular peasant was unable to pay his monthly taxes. The little money he made from his job was used to feed his family. He had made the trip to the castle to ask for more time to come up with the money. He hoped the prince would sympathize with his struggles and agree to give him more time. He couldn't afford to face the punishment for not paying his taxes. He would be jailed for life, leaving his penniless family to starve.

"Please, my prince," the man cried. "Have mercy on me." He clasped his hands together and began to cry. The prince sneered at him. "You disgust me," the prince said coldly. "There is no excuse for your worthlessness. Arrest him and get him out of my sight immediately." Suddenly, a tall, intimidating man appeared from the shadows. His body was covered in scars. The peasant looked at the guard in horror. "No, please!" he shouted, as the guard grabbed his arms and pulled him from the ground.

"Yuuma," the prince commanded. "Tale him to a cell as far away from my chambers as possible. I don't want to hear his pathetic cries. If he doesn't shut up…" The prince paused for a second and then gave a wicked smile. "Kill him." The guard nodded and dragged the man away. As the two went to the dungeons, a man with silver hair emerged, needing to talk with the prince.

"Another one," the man laughed. "This is the 3rd peasant today. You'll run out of dungeon space eventually."

"Your jokes don't amuse me, Dell," the prince sighed. "Don't you have something to be doing?" The prince never enjoyed Dell's company. "Why do you act so coldly to your cousin, Lenny?" Dell whined. "I'm your only family left. You should treat me with more love or I might leave you."

"Please do," Len retorted. "And don't call me that ridiculous nickname. It's childish and pathetic."

"Fine, Len," Dell replied with a hint of sarcasm. Dell sighed to himself. Not only was he the prince's cousin, but also his closest advisor. Despite Dell's importance to Len, the prince still treated him without care. However, this was fine for Dell. Secretly, he despised his cousin, even more than Len did him. In his mind, the prince was a selfish brat drunk on absolute power. Power that should belong to Dell, the older and wiser of the 2 royals.

"I must leave," Dell announced. "There is some urgent business I need to attend to." Dell turned and left the room, where the prince stayed with a bored expression on his face. As Dell left, he cursed the prince under his breath. "That little brat. Someday, I'll be in charge and I'll give him a test of his own medicine." The prince didn't suspect his cousin's treason, but how could he? Though the prince found his cousin annoying, he had complete trust in him. Dell was in charge of tedious tasks Len didn't want to do. For example, Dell traveled throughout the country, collecting taxes. He hired the castle's staff and did other menial tasks. It was a fair amount of responsibility, which elevated Dell to a higher stats. However, it didn't satisfy the amount of power Dell deeply yearned for.

Once Dell was gone, Len signed and laid his head on the arm on his throne. He was bored with hearing people's pointless problems. Were they so incompetent that they couldn't depend on themselves? They complained about so many things. High taxes, crime, poverty, and so much more. How could 1 prince solve all those problems? People were fools, in the prince's opinion, which is why he never showed mercy.

"Excuse me," a quiet voice said, splitting the silence. Len looked up to see a young woman in a purple cloak. Her violet hair fell down her shoulders. To many, she would have been a true beauty, but Len didn't care at all. He wondered what type of problem she came to complain about. Though he wondered, he didn't really care.

"I have a favor to ask," the woman said. Len almost laughed at her audacity. A prince doesn't grant favors. "Please free all the innocents imprisoned in your dungeons." The prince was taken aback by her request. "They aren't criminals," the woman frowned. "They are victims of your abuse of power. People who can't afford to pay your outrageous taxes, people who have to steal bread to survive, people who have been taken from their families because of your whims. They must be helped. Please free them!"

"I will do no such thing!" Len shouted at her. "How dare you ask me to do these things, you wench? I could have you executed for such words." The prince called for his guard, when the woman started to smile.

"You are a cold-hearted, evil boy," she muttered. "Barely even human. I will ensure that your heart will remain this cold and emotionless for all eternity. You don't deserve to feel love or compassion. What a terrible existence you will live, void of emotion. How miserable you'll be…"

"What is this crazy woman doing?" Len thought to himself. It was almost like she was placing a curse, but magic doesn't exist, the prince believed. She must be insane. The woman locked eyes with him and began to chant. The words flowing from her mouth were from a strange language the prince had never hearted before. The prince watched her with amusement. "Let her whisper to herself and wallow in her own insanity," he chuckled.

Suddenly, Len felt a sharp pain in his chest and he started to scream. He fell out of his throne and onto the cold ground. The amusement he felt disappeared and was replaced with nothing. As the pain subsided, Len stood up and looked at the woman with wide eyes. Normally, he would be angry, but he wasn't. In fact, he didn't feel anything at all.

"You're nothing more than a shell," the devious woman smiled. "This is your curse. It will stay with you until you die as punishment for your crimes. Such a shame, you're so young too." The woman turned to leave, but stopped before the door. "The only way to break your curse," she whispered, so quietly the prince almost couldn't hear her. "Is to find the only person in the world that could actually love an evil boy like you."

"Am I doing it right?" a 13 year old girl asked, as she added an egg to the bowl. She looked up at her brother with a big smile. "You're doing it perfectly," the girl's brother, Rinto, said. He was teaching his sister another recipe. Rinto was the baker in town, and his younger sister loved to bake alongside him. He watched as she stirred the batter, her white bow bouncing as she moved the spoon.

"That's enough, Rin," Rinto said. The girl nodded and poured the batter into a small pan. Her brother took the pan and placed it in the fiery oven to bake. "I can't wait to eat it!" Rin exclaimed. "I bet it'll be delicious." Rin loved nothing more than eating her creations with her brother, her only family. Their parents had died when disease spread through their village a few years ago. The 2 siblings depended on each other for everything. They were closer than most siblings.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. Rinto stood up, and answered the door. He surprised to find one of the castle's guards waiting outside. "Rinto Kagamine?" the guard asked. Rinto nodded, with a wary expression. "You haven't paid your taxes this month. I'm afraid I'll have to arrest you." Rinto looked back at his sister, who was still sitting at the table, smiling. He knew this day was coming. He had been having trouble paying the prince's extremely high taxes for months. And this month, there was barely enough money to keep his bakery open.

The castle guard pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slipped them over Rinto's hands. He pulled Rinto away from the door to join all the other people who were being arrested today. Rin saw her brother leaving with an alarmed expression. "Where are you going?" she cried. She ran out the door after her brother. When she stepped outside, she saw a cart filled with people. They were all wearing handcuffs. They were all being arrested for reasons unknown to the young girl. She searched the cart for her brother. Rin refused to let him leave. She saw blonde hair poking through the crowded cart and she ran to it.

"Rinto!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. Only a few meters away, a young boy named Kaito gave a sigh. He had just seen his parents arrested for tax evasion. It wasn't that his parents didn't have enough money to pay the taxes; they just were greedy and tried to avoid paying. Kaito wasn't sad about his parents being sent to the dungeons. They had never been very kind to their only son. They weren't kind to anyone for that matter. Kaito watched as more castle guards brought people to the cart, heading for the dungeons.

If there was anyone Kaito despised more than his parents, it was the prince. The prince was a heartless bastard who deserved to burn in hell. He arrested so many people, ruined so many lives, and didn't care. Kaito had seen so many lives ruined because of their selfish prince. Kaito took another look at the growing crowd, and a saw a young girl, only a year or two younger than himself, running towards the cart, where a guard was standing.

"Rinto!" she screamed. Her face was red from crying. "What is she doing?" Kaito thought to himself. "They'll arrest her too if she messes with the guards. She wouldn't last a day in those dungeons." Kaito sprinted after the girl, trying to stop her before she made a mistake. As he drew closer to her, he grabbed the edge of her dress and pulled her towards him. "Stop it," she shouted, trying to free herself from Kaito's grip. "They have Rinto!" Kaito could fell the girl's tears fall on his arms. Her voice was pained.

"Settle down," Kaito said gently. "You can't go after him or they'll arrest you too."

"I don't care!" Rin screamed. There was a sudden yell, and both Rin and Kaito looked up. The cart began to pull away with all its prisoners inside. Rin saw Rinto sitting in the back of the cart, a sad expression on his face. "Rinto!" Rin yelled one last time. As her brother disappeared into the distance, she fell to the ground, sobbing. Kaito kneeled next to her, and put his arms around the crying girl. "It'll be okay," he whispered. Kaito felt an urge to help this girl. She needed someone to comfort her.

"You don't know that," Rin snapped back. "I might never see him again!" She buried her head in her hands. "I promise you that you'll see him again," Kaito said without thinking. "The two of us, we'll save him someday. I'll promise you that."

"Really?" Rin said, looking up at Kaito's face. She noticed that he was very handsome and kind. She never thought a stranger would reach out to her like this. Rin felt safe in his arms, almost like her brother was still here. She believed in his words, and decided to take a chance on him. "Really," Kaito smiled. The young boy had an idea. His parents were fairly wealthy and they didn't need that money anymore. He could afford to take Rin away from this village and all its bad memories. Together, they could find a way to bring Rinto back, and maybe, be happy again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rin's POV**

"I win!" I smirked, holding my sword against Kaito's neck. If I made a wrong step, I could accidently cut him. He dropped his sword and threw his hands up into the air. I drew back my sword and pushed a piece of stray hair out of my eyes. "Wanna try again?" I asked, with a mischievous grin. "No thanks," Kaito sighed, picking his sword off the ground. "You beat almost every time."

"But no one else will spar with me," I whined. "That's because you beat them all too," Kaito smiled. He wasn't wrong. I considered myself to be the best swordfighter in the village. Not even Gakupo was good enough to beat me. How did I get so good? Kaito taught me the basics, and let's just say I had a natural talent for sword fighting. With some practice, I got pretty good.

"I'm going to see Miku," Kaito announced, starting to walk away. He had a dreamy look in his eyes. I giggled to myself, and decided to let him leave without a word. He's had a crush on Miku since the day they met. I can understand why Kaito loves her so much. She's pretty and perfect. She can cook, sew, and do all those other "girly" things. She and Kaito are also the same age. They were a perfect couple.

I decided to go find something else to do, since practice was over. During my walk back home, I noticed that the village was awfully busy. Luka was outside her small home, picking the herbs she grew to make medicine. Gakupo was right beside her, forging a new sword. The hot blade was a glowing orange. In the distance, I could see Gumi picking something from the fields. Meiko was running around chasing a chicken. She was probably drunk again. Kiyoteru was chasing after her. The little ones of the village, Oliver and Yuki, were sitting by the well, laughing.

This probably looks like a sweet, little village, but it wasn't always like that. When Kaito and I stumbled upon it a few years ago, it was pretty much abandoned. It used to be a farming village, but when the crops failed one season, no one could afford to pay their taxes. Not to mention, a terrible disease swept through the country at the same time. The survivors were probably arrested and sent to the dungeons. Gumi was the only one left in the village when we found it.

The small duo of Kaito and I grew. Gumi allowed us to stay in the abandoned homes, so Kaito and I decided to make this town our home base. We couldn't wander the country forever. We needed someplace to stay. If we needed supplies, we had to travel to other towns and villages and we always seemed to pick up people along the way. With each trip, our little village grew.

I remember we met Miku and her older brother, Mikuo, in a small town a few miles from here. They lived alone, just like Rinto and me. While Kaito and I were shopping for some seeds that Gumi needed, we came across Mikuo screaming in a panic. "What did they do with her?" he yelled angrily. The townspeople gave him strange stares, but ignored him. Since he was in such distress, I approached him and asked what the matter was. He said that his sister had been kidnapped by the prince. I felt a pain in my chest. It was just like Rinto. After seeing the look on Mikuo's face, I had to help him. I couldn't let what happened to me happen to others.

"Do you know where she might be?" I asked, trying to remain calm. Mikuo pointed in a vague direction to the north. "I heard her yell for help, but I didn't know where she went. I know the prince took her though. His goons were roaming around," Mikuo growled. "That bastard kidnaps women for his own pleasures. I heard the rumors, but I never thought they were actually true." I took off running to find his sister. I wanted to help her as much as I could. She must be terrified.

I ran towards a nearby forest that had a fading dirt path winding through it. If anyone planned to travel through here, they would need to use this path. And if someone was coming from the village, they would arrive in a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a shout and I hid behind a tree. I poked my head out, and saw a wagon being pulled by horses. The man sitting next to the wagon's driver had silver hair and the red eyes of a devil. His clothes were fancy and expensive, a sign of a prince's head henchman. The wagon looked like a jail cell on wheels. As it drove by, I noticed a small door in the back with a tiny window. There were a few girls sitting in the wagon. I prayed that the boy's sister was in there. With a closer look, I noticed a set of keys jangling on a hook by the door. Perfect.

I ran towards the back of the wagon, trying not to be spotted. There was a tiny piece of wood sticking out of the back of the wagon that I jumped onto. I grabbed onto the bars of the window to maintain balance. Grabbing the keys, I unlocked the door and it swung open. There were 4 girls inside and they were only a bit older than me. They looked at me in surprise. Their faces were red. It was obvious that they had all been crying. "Be quiet," I whispered. "I'm getting you out of here." The girls nodded. I jumped out of the wagon and they followed. I told them to quickly run into the forest. The 5 of us ran into the greenery, and hid for a few minutes, until the wagon was completely out of sight.

"Thank you," the teal-haired girl cried, giving me a big hug. "I thought we were done for."

"You have to come back with me to your village," I explained. "Your brother is looking for you." I could tell she was the boy's brother. They looked identical. Their teal hair was a sure sign of that. The 5 of us returned to the village. Kaito was talking to the boy, probably trying to figure out where I had disappeared to. He was surprised to see me return with 4 beautiful girls. The boy looked at me in joy and ran to his sister in an embrace. Both of them began to cry.

"Thank you," the boy said to me with a smile. "I don't know how I can ever thank you for what you've done."

"Come with us," I suggested. "We know a place where your sister will be safe. Nothing will happen to her anymore." The boy gave me an intrigued look. He stuck out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Mikuo and that's Miku," he said, introducing himself and his sister. "I'm Rin," I replied, shaking his hand. "And that's my friend, Kaito." I noticed Kaito was staring at Miku with eyes. What an idiot!

"Do you all want to come back to our village with us?" I told the other girls, who were still with us. "There's lots of space and we live in a place that the prince doesn't know about." It was true that our prince didn't know our little village existed anymore. He probably believed it was abandoned since everyone who lived there was in jail or dead. And that was only if he even knew the village existed in the first place. More people back home would make life run smoother. I'm sure Gumi would like the company too. The three other girls thought about my offer silently. Finally, one of them spoke up. "I guess it couldn't hurt to check the place out," the girl with long, blonde hair said. "It's the least we could do."

And that's how it all started. Miku, Mikuo, and the three girls came back with us to the village. The girls were named Haku, Neru, and Teto. They weren't related, but they had been close friends all their lives. They were among the first to join our village. As Kaito and I traveled further out, we discovered more and more people who wanted to come live in the village. We met Luka after her medicine stall had been burned down by the prince's guards. Gakupo had his most expensive swords stolen by the prince for his personal use. He was left penniless and with little to his name. Kiyoteru was the prince's old tutor, who had been fired after the prince turned 15. Oliver and Yuki were children separated from their parents because of the prince, just like Rinto and me.

The one common theme of our village was our hatred for the prince. The bastard had wronged all of us in some way, and we all wanted revenge. We wanted him to be punished for his crimes against his people. Not just us, but the entire country. As our village started to grow, we became more like a normal town. We had a doctor, blacksmith, teacher, farmer, and more. I helped out by baking things based off the recipes I remember from Rinto.

Once we started to function as normal, Kaito and I brought fewer people back home. We rarely traveled outside now that we had everything we needed right here. Though we had a peaceful exterior, we were secretly creating a small rebel force. Since we're so small, the prince will be caught off guard by our attack, whenever that'll be.

I trained with my sword everyday with the goal of defeating the prince. Gakupo helped me often. He wasn't only good at making swords, but also at fighting with them. The other boys of the village trained to, and soon we had a finalized plan to attack the prince. However, it would take a long time before we could enact it. We simply weren't strong enough to defeat the prince's forces yet.

"Rin!" a voice called over to me. It was Teto. Her pink drills bounced as she ran over excitingly. "Did you bake anymore bread yet?" she wondered. "Not yet," I laughed. "But I can start making some know if you'd like."

"That would be great, please!" Teto smiled. She ran off to talk with Neru, who was busy tending to her small garden growing outside her house. Sighing, I walked back to my house and set my sword down outside. My house used to belong to the baker in the old village and it had a huge oven. Since Rinto was a baker, I decided it couldn't hurt to try and be one too. Of course, I'll never be as good as Rinto was. I searched through the kitchen for the ingredients to make Teto's bread. Maybe while I was at it, I'd make a cake for Oliver and Yuki. They looked like they might need something sweet. I started to bake, humming to myself without a care in the world. Everything was perfect.

 **Len's POV**

I sat at the dining table, eating the dinner that the cook had prepared for me. It tasted bland and boring as usual. Disgusting. I stood up and left the table, deciding to head to my bedroom. There was no point in even trying to finish that food. As I walked up the long stairs toward my room, I heard shouts and cries from outside. Once I entered my room, I walked over to the small window and peered out. People crowded the side of the castle, yelling foul words and holding blazing torches. The sky was dark and clouded. It looked like in might storm. The people continued to shout. They looked pathetic.

Did they think their screams would help anything? Wasn't it their own fault that their lives were worthless? They should be thankful that I don't have them all arrested, maybe even killed. They could be rotting in the dungeons. The news ones aren't nearly as nice as the ones attached to the castle. They're made of cheap wood and are near the animal stables on the edge of the castle grounds.

I sat down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. This was boring. Everything was boring. It's quite a pain when you can't feel any emotions. Life becomes significantly less interesting. I couldn't enjoy the satisfaction of sending someone to the dungeons or get angry at the peasants who tried to ruin my day. Feelings like boredom must not be emotions though because I feel them all too often. But I suppose my "condition" makes me a better prince, don't you think? Nothing gets in the way of my decision, making my reign much more efficient. It's rather nice in a way. That foolish witch thought she had cursed me, but instead it was a blessing.

The shouts and clamors outside the window grew louder. What was wrong with these people? Why can't they go home? Suddenly, my bedroom door burst open and Dell came running in. He looked nervous and it was obvious that he had been sweating. "My prince!" he shouted nervously. "These rebels are trying to attack the castle. It's too dangerous for you to stay here!"

"They are no threat to me," I scoffed. "They're pathetic weaklings compared to me. Just send some guards to get rid of them." I waved my hand to send Dell away. "But your highness," Dell continued. "Some of the guards are on your side. It's a full on revolt." His words concerned me. "What do you propose I do then?" I asked, a hint of fear in my voice. Dell handed me a set of brown and dirty clothes. "Put on these peasant clothes and run," he said. "They shouldn't recognize you. Run as far away as you can. I'll distract the mob."

"Is this necessary?" I asked, unfolding the clothes. "I enjoy the comforts of my castle and would rather not be on the run."

"I just want you to be safe," Dell sighed. "I'll find you when all is well." Reluctantly, I slipped on the clothes. I looked revolting. Dell couldn't be serious about all this though, could he? He can't expect me to escape the castle. The chances of me surviving that would be slim. "Now hurry!" Dell shouted, grabbing my hand. He dragged me out of my room and through the castle. We stopped at a small door near the castle's rear. Dell told me to run and not to stop until I found myself in a safe place. He opened the door and pushed me outside. It was already raining. Then, he slammed the door shut. That's when I had a frightening realization.

I was alone. I'd have to survive on my own. My own fear rose only slightly, and I heard the people's cries become louder. Were they coming closer? I looked towards the forest in the distance. It seemed close enough to escape to. If I was lucky, no one would see me run over, especially in this rain. As much as I wanted to stay, my own safety was first priority. What would happen to this country if I died? I ran to the stables where the horses were kept. Grabbing the closest horse's reins, I jumped on. Riding a horse would be quicker than running and it would be harder for others to attack me. I kicked the horse and it bolted out of the stables.

None of those foolish peasants noticed as I fled. I never should have left. How could those fools have captured me? I could have stopped them on my own. However, my horse continued to run into the night, and then I realized that I had no idea where it was going. The horse ran and ran, and I was unsure of how to stop it. No one had ever taught me how to ride a horse. We had exited the forest almost two hours ago, and the horse was still moving.

Finally, it stopped in a clearing near the edge of a strange forest. Everything looked foreign. I wondered how Dell would ever find me in a place like this. Even I didn't know where I was. I jumped off the horse, exhausted. The rain had finally stopped and the moon had come out from behind the clouds. The ground looked soft, though it was wet. I sat down, a bit disgusted to be sitting on the dirt, but I was tired. As my eyes started to close, I noticed the horse trotting away. I don't care where that filthy animal goes anyway. Staring at the night sky, I felt myself fall asleep.

 **Dell's POV**

I pushed the prince out the door and slammed it in his face. I bolted the lock, so he wouldn't be able to get back in. I'm finally free of that brat, at least for a while. I doubted that he would survive the outdoors for even a week. If by some miracle he did survive, I planned to keep my promise. In perhaps a month of two, once the rebellion quieted down, I would search for him. When I find him, he'll be so thankful, he'll grovel at my feed. If he returns to the castle, his death will be almost certain. I touched my pant pocket, where I kept a small dagger in case of emergencies.

Won't it be sad when the "rebels" finally kill him? The idea of the look on his face when he realizes my treason will make his death all the more sweet. Years of hard work will finally bear their fruit. I fixed my suit and walked towards the castle's main doors, where hundreds of people were still rioting. Now, what should I tell these rebels?


	3. Chapter 3

**\- THE NEXT MORNING –**

 **Rin's POV**

There was a loud knock at the door, which woke me up. Who could it be this early in the morning? I slowly got out of bed and trudged over to the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to see Luka standing there. She looked a little worried. "Could I trouble for something?" she asked politely. "Of course," I nodded. "What do you need?"

"Yuki is running a small fever, but I don't have enough of the herbs I need to make her medicine. Could you please run out and get some for me. They grow in that forest nearby. I would go and get them myself, but I don't want to leave Yuki alone, just in case she gets any sicker."

"I'm happy to help!" I smiled. Luka explained to me what the plant looked like and where it grew in the forest. Then she left to go check on Yuki, who was sleeping at Luka's house. I grabbed my brown cloak, since it was a bit chilly in the morning, and my sword, just in case. I started walking towards the forest, hoping to be back within an hour or two. That would give me time to take the herbs to Luka and finish up the cake from yesterday. I didn't feel like grabbing a horse to travel out to the forest. The trip was only two miles after all, a mere walk. I asked Neru, who was sitting outside working on her garden, if she could watch the house for a bit. She happily agreed and then returned to her flowers.

After about 15 minutes of walking, I arrived in the forest. The forest was beautiful. Wildflowers of every color grew alongside trees that seemed to touch the sky. A clear, blue river ran through the center and I could hear the sounds of the insects and animals of the forest. It was a peaceful scene and I felt a bit guilty for disturbing it. I tried to search for the herb Luka needed. It was green, which would make it difficult to find among all the other plants, but it had funny shaped leaves. She also said it smelled like mint, but a bit different. I trudged deeper into the forest, since the herb didn't appear to grow near the edge. I kneeled down on the ground, searching close for it.

Suddenly, a loud noise shot through the forest's silence. It was coming from the opposite direction and sounded like a horse. Standing up, I began to walk in the direction of the sound. If there was a horse, there had to be a rider. Who would be out this far? Could it be one of the prince's men? I unsheathed my sword and began to run. A fight might be necessary to protect the village. A swift and surprise attack would be the most effective on whoever was around. I ran to a small pond, where I found a horse drinking. Its mane was brushed nicely and it had an expensive saddle. The rider had to be well-to-do, but where was he? I approached the horse, almost to the point where I was touching it.

"Where's your rider?" I asked, reaching my hand out to the horse's head. I slowly stroked its head and spoke to it in a calm voice. The horse gave a snort and turned around. Was it trying to show me something? The horse nudged me with its head, and gave another snort. I patted its head with a smile. "You're a pretty nice horse," I laughed. "If you want, you can come home with me. We have plenty of carrots and apples for you." The horse nodded its head, almost as if it was agreeing with me. "I'll have to give you a name though," I said. While thinking of names, I remembered that the first priority was finding the horse's rider.

I jumped on the horse and gripped the reins. "Can you show me your rider?" I asked. The horse began to walk through the forest, until we reached a small clearing. To my surprise, a boy about my age was lying on the ground, asleep. Who would sleep in a place like this? I dismounted from the horse and walked over to the boy. His hair was pulled into a small ponytail, but most of his hair had fallen out of it. His face was scratched up and he had small cuts all over his legs. His clothes looked fancy, but they were ripped and covered in dirt. He must be from a wealthy family to afford clothes like that. He looked like he could live in one of those manors out by the castle. He looked like how I imagined a prince to be. Not our prince though. I always imagined our prince as older and less good-looking than this boy. He was kinda cute.

I poked the boy in the cheek. He looked harmless and he wasn't armed. He didn't react, so I poked his nose. His nose scrunched up, which made me giggle, so I poked him again. This time he awoke. When he opened his eyes, I noticed they were a stunning, but cold blue. He shot up and pointed his finger at me. "What are you doing?" he demanded to know. "You were asleep," I explained. "I was trying to wake you up. Why are you sleeping in a place like this?" The boy took a moment to observe his surroundings. It was like he didn't know he was sitting in a forest. "That's none of your business," he said defensively. Someone is keeping secrets, and he's not very nice ether. I assumed that he was afraid, so I didn't get too mad at him.

"You should come with me," I offered, sticking out my hand. "You look cold and hungry. I can get you something good to eat and also a change of clothes."

"Fine," the boy simply said. He stood up and I helped him get on the horse. His legs seemed to be a bit weak. I jumped onto the horse and told him to hold on tight to avoid him falling off, but he refused. We were about to leave, when I remembered the herbs. "Sorry," I apologized. "I have to grab something real quick before we go back." I looked through some of the shrubbery and quickly found the herb I was looking for. I picked a handful and put them in the pocket of my cloak. "Sorry," I apologized again, as I remounted the horse. "A friend of mine needs these."

"As if I care," the boy replied coldly. His reply took me aback. He was awfully rude. Maybe he did have a bad personality. I offered to bring him to my home and give him food and clothing, and this was how he acted? I suppose he does come from a wealthy family. He must be used to being waited on hand and foot. What a lucky boy. I decided to ignore his reply and rode the horse back home. The ride back was quick since we were on a horse. As I expected, the boy almost fell off. Each time, he barely stayed on by grabbing my cloak. Though he tried to seem tough, he just looked silly. The two of us didn't talk much. The boy didn't seem to have much to say.

"You remind me of a prince, you know?" I told the boy as we entered the village. The boy was silent. "Good thing you aren't though," I laughed. "Then I'd have to kill you."

 **Len's POV**

I sat behind the peasant girl on my horse. Needless to say, I had little to say to her. I didn't want to talk with someone like her. Her white bow bobbed up and down as the horse moved. To many, she would have been a pretty girl, but she was still a disgusting peasant. I suppose I seem rude for not thanking her, but in actuality, she should be thanking me. She is in the presence of royalty, which most commoners never get the chance of. Besides, why should I even have to thank her?

"You remind me of a prince, you know?" she said. Her stupidity amazed me. Did she not even recognize her own prince? I said nothing in reply. "It's a good thing you aren't though," she continued with a small laugh. "Then I would have to kill you." My jaw tightened and I leaned away from her. What nonsense was she talking about? Kill me? Who would kill their own prince? That's the highest form of treason and would result in the death penalty. I decided not to say anything. This girl was crazy.

We had arrived in a small village filled with people running around. There was a woman working in a garden and a disfigured child sitting by a well. He was covered in bandages. There were some men practicing sword fighting. It was very lively and radiated happiness. How disgusting. The horse stopped in front of a small house, and the girl got off. She reached her hand out to me to help me get off. I refused it and got off on my own. I didn't need her help. The girl gave me an odd look and opened the door to the house. The 2 of us walked in. The house was not as nice as the palace, but that was to be expected. It was a commoner's home. I noticed that there was a large oven in the kitchen.

"What would you like?" the girl asked. "Whatever," I replied, emotionlessly. All food was bland and terrible. There was no point in even making a recommendation. The girl set to work in the kitchen. She pulled out lots of vegetables and put a pot of water in the fire. As she cooked, she tried to have a conversation with me. "We never properly introduced ourselves," she said. "I'm Rin."

"Len," I said, taking a seat on a small chair next to the table. "That's a nice name," Rin said, as she threw some of the vegetables into the pot. "What were you doing out there in the forest? You don't seem like you want to share, but I'd like to know. You don't have to tell me though if you don't want to." I said nothing, and looked down at my feet. Rin laughed a bit. "You're pretty quiet. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait to have my questions answered. I used to be quiet like you, but now I've opened up a lot." She continued to laugh and started to stir whatever she was making.

After a few minutes, Rin poured a bowl of soup for me. She set the bowl in front of me and told me to eat it. She gave me a spoon, and with a sigh, I took a bite. To my surprise, it tasted good. It was unlike any of the food I had eaten at the palace. This soup actually tasted good. I quickly finished my bowl. It had been a long time since I had tasted anything with any flavor.

"I guess you liked it?" Rin smiled, grabbing my bowl. "Do you want some more?" I nodded and she poured more soup into my bowl. I ate the entire thing again. "You're really interesting," Rin said, taking a seat next to me. She was eating her own bowl of soup. "You don't say much, but you certainly have a big appetite. You're also pretty cute," she added. For a moment, I felt my face heat up. A wave of heat must have come from the fire. It was impossible for me, a great prince, to feel flustered. There was also that whole curse thing. Rin finished her soup and took both our bowls away. As she started to clean them out, there was a knock at the door. Rin quickly walked over and answered it.

There was a woman with a long, pink hair standing in the doorway. "Do you have the herbs?" she asked. Rin nodded and grabbed her cloak. She reached into its pockets and pulled out a handful of green leaves. She gave them all to the woman. "Thank you," the woman smiled. "Hopefully, Yuki will feel better after I get her some medicine." The woman looked at me and turned back to Rin. "Who's that?"

"That's Len," Rin explained. "I found him sleeping the forest. He's a quiet one. He's only told me his name."

"Maybe he should talk to Kaito," the woman smiled. "That would liven anyone up."

"That's a good idea!" Rin shouted. "Wait, I have something for you first." Rin grabbed something from beneath her counter. It was a cake. She grabbed a couple strawberries from a basket and set them on top. "This is for Yuki and Oliver. I thought they needed something sweet."

"They'll love it," the woman smiled, taking the cake. When the woman left, Rin ran over to me and grabbed my arm. "I want you to meet someone!" she smiled. She pulled me out the door and towards the center of the small village. The same men from before were gathered there. There was a man with dark blue hair sparing with a man with long purple hair. A teal haired man was sitting on the sidelines, talking to a man in glasses. He looked like an old tutor of mine, Kiyoteru, who I had fired a long time ago.

"Hey guys!" Rin shouted. All the men turned to face her with a smile. "Yo!" the blue haired boy said, setting his sword down. I noticed the man with glasses give me a wary look. He mumbled something to himself, and took off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes and put them back on. He seemed a bit confused. The blue haired boy approached Rin and me. "Who's your friend?" he asked. "I don't think I've ever seen him before."

"This is Len," Rin replied. "Len, this is my friend, Kaito." The man named Kaito glanced at me suspiciously. In one swift motion, Kaito, who had been standing a few meters away from me, picked up his sword and lunged towards me with his sword up against my neck.


	4. Chapter 4

**Len's POV**

Kaito's sword was against my neck. I could feel its cold blade. If I moved even an inch, it would cut me. Was he going to kill me? Normally, it isn't considered good manners to kill someone when you first meet them. It leaves a poor first impression. I looked up at Kaito. His eyes were blank. I couldn't read his actions. I continued to stand still and say nothing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rin and the other men watching me. They were wondering what I would do next. Then Kaito sighed and drew his sword back.

"That's an awfully dull boy, you've brought back," he said to Rin. "In any other circumstance, he would've been killed ten times over. I suppose he won't be much help with the fighting side of things."

"You can teach him how to fight," Rin said. What? I don't need to learn how to fight. I pay people to fight and die for me. Suddenly, Rin threw me a sword. I don't know where she got it from, but it was big and heavy. I almost dropped it while holding it with both hands. "Show us how good you are," Rin smiled. "If you want to stay here, you've got to prove you can fight. A rebellion is useless without good swordsmen."

"What do you mean a rebellion?" I asked. Was this town full of crazies. "Didn't she tell you?" Kaito said. "We're going to overthrow the prince. He'll never see this coming." He turned to face Rin. "You should've told him before you brought him in. You might've scared the crap outta him."

"Kaito, don't give all our plans away," the purple haired man scolded. So, they are all crazy. I have to get out of here as soon as possible. They'll kill me if they figure out I'm the prince. Why do they all have a grudge against me? I've never even met any of these people. "I need to… err… go," I mumbled, slowly backing away from the small group. I set the sword on the ground and was ready to run. "No way!" Rin smiled, grabbing my hand. She pulled me back and handed me the sword. "You're gonna be a fighter. We could always use more men."

"No, I can't fight, really," I said, trying to lie my way out of the situation. Rin suddenly got a nervous look on her face. "I forgot the frosting!" she shouted. She ran back towards her house. Rin certainly is a strange girl, but this was my opportunity to get away. I felt a strong hand land on my shoulder. "While Rin is gone, how about we teach you the basics?" Kaito asked. "You need it, especially if you're gonna live here." I didn't know I had signed up to live here, but with a sigh, I agreed. I should pretend to get along with everyone, just so they don't cut my head off or something.

"Fine," I scoffed, gripping the sword. "Let's get this done quickly."

"Someone has an attitude," the purple haired man snickered, pointing at me. "I wonder why Rin brought back someone like him." Kaito gave a chuckle in agreement and then walked towards me, sword in hand. "Hold it like this," he said, moving my hands on the sword's grip. "You don't want something as sharp as that swinging out of your hands during a fight," he joked. "Now, trying attacking me with it."

Holding the sword tightly, I tried to step forward, keeping the sword in the air. Almost immediately, it fell out of my hands and onto the ground. It was too heavy to swing. "Looks like he needs a lighter sword," Kaito observed. He turned to the purple haired man. "Gakupo, you think you can get this kid an appropriate sword?" The man named Gakupo nodded, and walked off to fulfill his task. "We've got some free time. Want to look around?" Kaito asked. "Sure," I sighed. There was nothing better to do in this hell hole. When will Dell come for me? This place is as boring as the castle, but at least in the palace I don't have to fear for my life. Before we walked away, the glasses man walked up to me. He opened his mouth to say something, when a loud shout came from behind him.

"Kiyo!" a woman yelled. "The chickens are out again!" A woman with short, brown hair appeared and grabbed the glasses man's sleeve. Her voice was slightly slurred, like she had already drank some alcohol today. "Go on, Kiyo," Kaito laughed. "You should help your girlfriend out?" The man gave him a dirty look and turned to the woman. "Let's go, Meiko," he said, pulling the woman along. "We better get going too," Kaito said. "It'll take a while to give you the full tour, and I'm going to see Miku later." I assumed Miku was his girlfriend or something.

"Why are you being so nice?" I asked. "Aren't I a stranger?" Kaito shook his head. "No, we're all friends here," he said. "Rin brought you here and I trust her more than anyone. A friend of hers is a friend of everyone's. You're already a part of our little village." He gestured to the land around us. "There aren't too many people here, if you haven't noticed," Kaito said, beginning his tour. "Only a handful compared to the population of this place before we found it. It must have been a real nice village a while back, at least until the prince got hold of everyone." I kept my eyes on the ground as Kaito spoke ill of me. I didn't care that he was saying such things, but he should have more respect for a monarch.

"That's Luka's house," Kaito said, pointing at a small home with a large garden. "She's basically our doctor. We couldn't get along without her. The prince's men burned down her old home, so know she lives here. Oh, and that's where Miku and her brother live. We've got 2 little ones, Yuki and Oliver, that live with them too."

"Does she have some sort of backstory too?" I asked, not seriously though. It was more of an insult than anything, but Kaito's face was serious as he replied. "Miku was captured by the prince and would've been made a slave, with a couple others girls, if Rin hadn't have saved her. Who knows what could have happened to her." For a moment, I was slightly confused. I never issued an orders for young woman. That was low, even for me. Besides, commoners were useless and made poor slaves.

"Len!" a voice called out to me. I turned to face Rin, who apparently finished whatever task she had gone off to do. "Thanks Kaito," she said, waving him off. "I can take it from here. I'll take care of Len." Take care of me? What am I, a child? Kaito nodded, and went off to talk with a young woman nearby who was talking to the child from before.

"Do you want to see the rest of the village?" Rin asked, innocently. "No," I replied, cold-heartedly. Rin's face looked a bit hurt, and for a moment, I felt a pang of guilt. No, I must have a stomach ache from her soup. I can't feel guilty, especially not because of a commoner. "Do you want to go back home?" Rin asked, obviously trying to please me. "I'm tired," I replied. "Do you have a bed for me?"

"Yeah," Rin smiled, kindly. "I'll take you home right now." I followed her back to her small home. She took me inside and up to a small bedroom. There was a tiny bed, a table with a candle, and a book. "Will this do?" she asked. "It's the best I have." I sat down on the bed, and noticed that it wasn't very comfortable. Nothing like the beds at the palace. How could someone sleep on this every night? Then I realized this was the only bed in the house. "Where will you sleep later?" I asked, but not out of concern. I just wanted to know. "I'll find someplace," Rin shrugged. "Wow, it got late!" she said, looking out the window. "Were we really out for so long? Do you want some dinner? I've got some left over bread." I nodded, and Rin ran off to the kitchen to make me "dinner".

 **Rin's POV**

I rummaged through the kitchen, looking for something to pair with the bread. I felt bad that I was giving someone from a wealthy family such a terrible meal. Though Len wasn't the nicest boy I've ever met, I felt like it was my duty to make sure he was comfortable. He must feel so lonely and afraid, considering he's far from home. He must miss his family. I'll do I can to make him happy until he decides to go back home.

After finding some jam for the bread, I walked back up to my bedroom. To my surprise, Len was fast asleep. He must have tired himself out today. I sat down the bread and jam on the small side table. I put out the candle and started to leave the room. "Rin?" Len's voice rang out in the darkness. I said nothing, and I hoped that Len would go back to sleep, but he continued to speak. "Why are you being so nice to me?" For a minute, I stayed silent. Then I walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I feel bad for you," I answered truthfully. "You must be so lonely, and I've felt the same before. You also remind me of someone from I knew from a while ago."

"Who?" Len questioned further. I thought about Rinto, whose appearance really was similar to Len's. A small tear fell down my face as I thought about him. Looking towards the end of the bed, I couldn't see Len's face. That meant he couldn't see my face or my tears. "You remind me of my brother, Rinto," I confessed. "He was arrested by the prince3 years ago. I felt so lonely when he was gone, but at least I had Kaito. You must feel like how I did. Lonely, lost, and sad, but don't worry," I promised. "I'll make sure you make it home, eventually, unless you'd like to stay here. That'd be okay too." Len was quiet, so I assumed he fell back asleep. I wiped away my tears and stood up. "Good night," I whispered, leaving the room. Now, where am I going to sleep tonight?


	5. Chapter 5

**Len's POV**

The next morning I woke up just as the sun was rising. With a yawn, I pushed myself out of bed and almost called out to Dell to order the servants to bring me my breakfast. Then I realized that I was not in my comfortable castle, but some dingy home in the middle of nowhere. There were no servants, not even a nice bed to sleep it. The scent of something baking drifted into the room, and I was drawn downstairs. Quickly, I ran to the kitchen and found Rin baking bread. Despite it being probably being made from low quality ingredients, it smelled amazing. It was unlike anything I had smelled in the palace.

"Good morning," Rin smiled, turning towards me. "I hope you swept well last night." I nodded and wandered closer to her. She set a loaf of bread on the table and cut in it half. I could see the heat rising from the bread. She handed me one of the halves. "Again, I apologize for the meal," she said. Rin turned back to pull another loaf from the oven, as I nibbled on the bread. It was good, just as good as the soup from yesterday. Though I had only eaten her cooking a few times, Rin's food was a thousand times better than what I was used to.

"By the way," Rin said, as she set her last loaf on the table. "Could you deliver this bread to some people. I need to help Gakupo out with something this morning, and I don't have time for the deliveries. It'd also be a good way for you to get to know people." I recalled Gakupo was the swordsmith with the purple hair. I wonder what business Rin might have with him. "I'd really rather not," I replied truthfully. Being someone's delivery boy was not something a prince did. It was a job for the lower class. Rin simply nodded and said in return, "That's okay, I think I can manage on my own." I felt a pang of pain in stomach again. What was this? Did her bread poison me? Rin grabbed a basked and set the loaves of bread inside. She covered them with a small towel and headed towards the door.

"Wait!" I said, grabbing her shoulder. "I Guess I could deliver them." I instantly regretted my words. Rin gave me a huge smile and handed me the basket. "Thanks so much," she beamed. "Just drop one loaf at all the houses. Everyone should be home. If not, just leave the bread by the door." With that, she quickly ran out the door to Gakupo's. She seemed to be in a hurry.

With a sigh, I walked outside and observed the small town. Though it was small, there were still quite a few houses. At least 15 and that meant a lot of walking. I noticed a girl with a long ponytail working in her garden. I walked over to her and tapped her own the shoulder. She turned around and revealed a face covered in dirt. It must have been from her garden, but it made her look as poor as she probably was. I handed her a loaf of bread and she smiled at me.

"You must be the newcomer, Len?" she said. News travels fast here, doesn't it? "Yes," I replied, my voice filled with boredom. I had no desire to stay and chat with this girl, since I had things to do. "You do seem a bit weak, but I'm sure Kaito will train you in no time," she laughed. "You'll be a great addition to our little rebel force." There was a mention of that rebellion again. I guess everyone in the village really was in on it. I'll have to have this village eliminated as soon as I returned the palace. It isn't safe to have rebels like these people around.

"I'm Neru, by the way," the girl said, sticking out her hand. It was covered in a thick layer of dirt. With a look of disgust, I turned to leave and go to the next house. The drunken woman from yesterday was in the next house I visited, but she wasn't as drunk now. She looked down at the bread as she opened her door and snatched it from my hands. Her flare would have made any normal person uncomfortable, but I was unaffected. "I don't trust you," she said with a growl. "A rich bastard like you has no place here. You'll be killed as soon as you step foot in a fight. Go back to your mansion or something." She slammed the door in my face and I was a bit frightened. She was scary.

As I was about to leave, the door opened again. I expected it to be the scary lady, so I turned to run. Suddenly, a voice called out, "Wait!" The glasses man from yesterday was standing in the doorway with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry," he said. "Meiko can be a bit harsh sometimes. She isn't very trustworthy of others since her encounter with the prince."

"What encounter?" I said, almost immediately. It's not like I really cared, but I had never seen that woman in my life. "You see," the man started. "A couple years back, one of the prince's right-hand men, a shady looking fellow with graying hair, came to Meiko's village searching for some extra help. This was before the prince developed his bad reputation, so Meiko accepted a job, hoping to earn some money to pay for those drinking habits of hers. She thought her job would be cleaning stables or something, but the prince had different plans in mind. Turns out, he was just gathering people and forcing them to work. They didn't get paid, and were treated like animals."

I had no recollection of what he was talking about. Dell did all the hiring of servants and staff, and I always had assumed they were treated fairly. It wasn't like I really cared much about those lowly workers though. "I was working for the prince at the time," the man continued. "I was his tutor, though it was the most miserable job I've ever had. That's when I met Meiko. I found her in the courtyard, covered in much and exhausted after a long day of hard work. I fell in love instantly. Once we began to talk, we really hit it off, but she made me realize how cruel the prince really was. I convinced her to run away with me, so we escaped the palace and found our way to this town with the hopes of making the prince pay for his crimes against his own people."

So the glasses man was Kiyoteru. I remember him leaving suddenly, right in the middle of the year. Dell claimed he had quit, but never mentioned anything about him running away. Another tutor was hired immediately, and I forgot about Kiyoteru ever existing. Was the palace that much of prison that he had to run away? "I'm sorry for boring you with such a story," Kiyoteru chuckled. "People are waiting for that bread, right?" I nodded, and ran off to finish delivering the bread, but I found myself deep in thought over what Kiyoteru had said.

 **A FEW HOURS LATER**

With the last of the bread delivered, I returned to Rin's house with an empty basket. The deliveries had taken longer than expected since everyone stopped to chat with me. It was annoying. Now the morning was almost over and it was changing to the afternoon. I was surprised to find Rin chatting with Gakupo outside her home. "Len!" she exclaimed as she saw me walking over. "Come here, I have a surprise for you!" Not feeling excited, I approached her. "What?" I asked in an irritated tone. I didn't mean for it to come out like that, but it just did. Still, Rin's smile didn't falter. It seemed like nothing could get her down.

"Surprise!" she shouted, as she pulled a long object out from behind her back. It was a sword, and a well-made one at that. The blade was clean, making it obvious that the sword was new. It had a golden handle and was smaller than the sword I used earlier. "Gakupo made this for you," Rin smiled. "Kaito and I thought you needed a sword that was more your size. I'm surprised Gakupo was able to finish it so quickly, but here it is." She set the sword in my hands and its tip gleamed in the sunlight. For a moment, I was speechless as I stared at the sword in awe. It was beautiful and probably could slice through a man in an instant. It was a dangerous weapon.

"You can start training right away," Rin said. "That is, if you plan on staying. Plus, it's only a matter of months." I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but I really didn't care. "Do you like?" Rin asked. "Is it too big? Or do you have better swords back home? We can always try to make another one if you don't like it." I still couldn't understand her kindness. She tried so hard to please me. She'd probably jump off a cliff if I asked nicely.

"It's… nice," I said, looking Rin in the eyes. Her blue eyes radiated happiness and my stomach started to hurt again. "That's great!" Rin cheered as she wrapped her arms around me in an embrace. "I had a feeling you'd like it." I was taken aback by her sudden hug, but I felt my cheeks heat up. I wanted to tell her to get off, but I couldn't. What is this strange thing I'm feeling?

 **Rin's POV**

I quickly let go of Len once I realized what I was doing. He didn't seem like the type of person who enjoyed hugs. Along with that, my face was bright red. I was a little embarrassed, though I had hugged lots of guys in the past. I didn't know why I was blushing. "Why don't you go see Kaito?" I offered, letting the redness on my face disappear. "He can teach you to use that thing better than me. He's a great teacher." I spoke from experience. Kaito taught me most of what I know about swordfighting, though I'm a bit better than him now. When I was a beginner, I was a wreck. Without him, I'd be awful.

Len nodded and headed off in the direction of Kaito's house. I giggled a bit. Len was so stiff and emotionless. He reminded me of a little kid in a new place, too afraid to show others his emotions. It was kinda cute. I'm sure he'll open up once he gets used to the place.

"You can go back if you'd like," I said, turning towards Gakupo. "Luka is probably looking for you anyways." His face flushed red and I laughed loudly. He grumbled something and walked away. It was so easy to tease him and fun at that. I decide to go inside and grab my sword. A bit of extra practice was in need. Behind my house, I had set up a small hale bale with some markings to practice aim. It was no high class training ground, but it worked well enough.

I carefully got into an attacking position. In a swift motion, I thrust my sword into the hay bale with a hard push. It went through effortlessly, as expected. Right on the mark. It was easy enough to defeat a hay bale though. A real person would be much harder. That was what scared me the most about our plan. Could I really attack somebody? If I killed, or even injured someone, I don't think I could ever forgive myself. The prince would be the only exception. Everyone else was an innocent caught in his crossfire. I wouldn't mind slicing that slimy bastard into pieces. After all, if the prince wasn't permanently removed from his throne, what would be the point of a rebellion?

I thought of all the people the prince had wronged. So many suffered because of his whims. Not just my friends and I, but people who I will ever meet. It's unfair that one man has the power to ruin so many lives. If I ever get the chance, I won't hesitate to kill him in the name of my friends, my brothers, and the country. And for Len, said a voice in the back of my mind. I turned a bit red at the thought. Yes, I wanted to do it for Len too. I suspected that the prince attacked Len's family since they were of high nobility. Len must've been left behind after all the destruction. He's probably still in shock after all he's gone through. That must be why he appears cold-hearted.

Despite his seriousness, I already felt happy around him. His presence seemed to bring my joy, just like Rinto did. He's only been here for a few days, but I felt like he's been here longer than that. I haven't felt this kind of happiness in a long time. I hope Len will start to open up to me. I want to become good friends, but that might take some time. I'm willing to wait, but I'm wondering why he makes me this happy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rin's POV**

The next day I woke up extra early so I could wake up Len. After their talk yesterday, Kaito wanted Len to begin training right away. I had the feeling Kaito was eager to put our plan into action soon. With Len, I think we have enough people to make a substantial attack. "Len, wake up!" I yelled into his ear. I pushed the sleeping boy back and forth. He didn't make a sound. I gave him a good shove, knocking him out the bed. He fell onto the floor with a _thud._ He's only been here for a few days and he acts like he owns the place. I assumed that meant he was planning on staying here. I couldn't tell if that was good or bad.

"What the hell?" Len shouted as he rubbed his head. He must've hit it when he fell off the bed. He sat up and glared at me. I gave a small giggle, but held out my hand to help him stand up. "Kaito wants you to begin training bright and early," I explained. "You'd better get going!" Len grumbled something about how early it was, but said nothing more. He walked out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen. I had set some bread and jam out for him. I followed him downstairs and he quickly picked up his breakfast.

After shoving it into his mouth, Len grabbed his sword, which was sitting next to mine in the corner of the room. He was about to leave without even a goodbye. "Bye!" I said right before he walked out the door. I waved and said, "Have fun!" For a moment, Len's face lightened up a bit. He gave a half-hearted wave, and then left. I guess that proves he's warming up to me at least a little bit. When we first met, he would've just scowled at me.

I cleaned off the plate Len's breakfast was on and put it away. I began to plan my schedule for the day. I needed to pick a few things up from a nearby town. I stuck my head out the window and saw just how early it was. The sun was just barely over the horizon. I guess it couldn't hurt to sleep for a few extra hours. I didn't need to leave early for my trip.

After a short nap, I woke up again. The sun was beginning to shine now and everyone else was probably awake. With a yawn, I got out of bed and changed clothes. Then I headed for Miku's house. No one was outside, so I knocked loudly on the door. Mikuo opened the door with a happy face. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, politely. I smiled in response. Mikuo always tried to be smooth around the ladies. "I'm going shopping in the next village over, and was wondering if Miku wanted to come," I explained. "I promise we'll be back before tomorrow. It'll be a short trip, especially if we take a horse. I thought she'd like to get out every now and then." Mikuo thought to himself for a moment. He was very protective of his sister.

"Sure," he smiled. "I trust you two, but make sure you bring your sword." I tapped my sword, which was hanging from my belt. He gave me a wink and then left to grab Miku. She was at the door in a few minutes wearing one of her cute, homemade dresses. "Ready to go!" she announced. "Great," I replied. "Let me just grab a horse and we'll get going."

"Miku, could you buy some leeks while you're out?" Mikuo asked before we left. "The ones you're growing aren't ready yet, but I wanted some for dinner this week." Miku happily agreed and the 2 of is headed towards the stables. When we arrived, I noticed the horse I found when I met Len was there. She was in good condition and looked ready for a ride. I decided to name her Josephine. It was a cute name I remember seeing in a book or something. She was certainly big enough and strong enough to carry Miku and me.

We hopped on, and I yelled for Josephine to go. She responded quickly to her new name, like she had had it all her life. We were going to get along splendidly. We rode off into the forest to a nearby village that was only 2 hours away on horseback.

"How's that housemate of yours?" Miku asked as we rode. "He's kinda cute."

"Len's doing fine," I told her "He's a bit moody, but better than before. Kaito is supposed to be giving him lessons today," I added, like a proud parent. I secretly wished Len was going to be a great fighter. "He's spending the day with Kaito?" Miku said. "He sure is lucky. I wish I got to spend more time Kaito. I hardly get to see him since he's been so busy lately." I couldn't help but laugh a little. Kaito and Miku didn't know that they liked each other so much, though I thought it was pretty obvious. "I think if you asked him to spend some time with you, he'd happily agree," I advised her. She gave me a smile and promised to ask him when we got back.

With a little bit more riding, we arrived in the small village near a lake. It had a good fish market and a lot of crops we had trouble growing back home. The village had a big market with plenty of things we needed. Gumi could only do so much to support the village. I dismounted and helped Miku off Josephine. I tied Josephine to a tree near a pond. She'd have to wait there since the village didn't have any stables to put her in. "You behave, okay?" I smiled, stroking Josephine's head. She gave a whinny to show she understood my instructions. With a laugh, Miku and I entered the village.

The main road was a lively place. I was amazed at the number of people out shopping. People filled the streets and flooded the shops. Usually, it was quieter than this. Shouts seemed to come from every direction. "Fresh fish!" someone yelled to the fight. "Low prices!" Immediately people ran over, looking for a bargain. I grabbed Miku's hand and tried to navigate through the crowd. Eventually, we exited the main road and things began to quiet down.

"I know a good person for vegetables and fish," I said. "She has a stall up near the lake." Miku and I walked along the road until the lake came into view. Surrounding it was another marketplace, though it was smaller than the one in town. Fewer people were walking around, but they were obviously richer than most. It was sign that only the best quality goods were sold here. There were some jewelers selling gems and people known for good food. There was even a stall selling exotic spices that probably only the prince could afford.

"This weather is dreary," a woman wearing a pretty, white dress moaned, as she passed by me. She held a fan to her face and looked miserable. Her blonde hair was curly, but it was tied tight in a bun. Her face was caked in make-up. "Why did you make me come out here?" she complained to her companion. "It's good for you, Ann," the tall man beside her sighed as he put some tomatoes into the basket he was carrying. "And you always complain about the ingredients in your dinner, so now you'll help choose them." The wealthy woman gave a groan and waved her fan. Miku and I couldn't help but laugh at her. She looked like a puffed up swan, especially when she made that groaning noise.

"There's the stall!" I said, pointing at a small stall with a woman working behind it. It had a small sign advertising vegetables and fish. The stall looked plain, but I knew it was special. The woman working had just finished sending a young man some fish. "Luo!" I called with a smile. The woman looked up at me and waved. "Rin, it's been so long," she said. Her voice had a slight accent, since she wasn't from his country. She was from someplace to the east, but moved here a few years ago on her own.

"Luo, this is Miku," I said, introducing my friend. The two of them exchanged smile. Then I saw Miku's eyes wander to a basket of leeks sitting on the stall. "Can we get some of those for Mikuo?" she asked. "They look delicious." Only the Hatsunes would find those delicious. Luo grabbed the basket of leeks and handed it to me. "You can take them all if you'd like," she said. "Leeks aren't a big seller. People prefer fish over vegetables and they're easy to grow. Plus, it's the least I could do for a friend." I thanked Luo for her kindness and then asked if she had any fish she could sell for a low price.

"Here's some nice tuna," she said, pulling a large fish from behind the counter. "I helped catch it yesterday, so it's fresh. It'd also probably be enough to feed half of that village of yours."

"I'll take it!" I said with a smile. "Luka will probably use in her soup." Lup wrapped the fish in some loose paper and handed it to me. I bought some more vegetables and finished our shopping with Luo. I decided it was probably time to leave. "I think I have everything I need to bake this week, so we shouldn't need to get eggs or flour," I said. "Can you think of anything else we're missing?"

"I saw a stand selling fancy fruit," Miku said. "Can we get some of those?"

"I don't know," I replied, hesitantly. "It sounds good, but fruit is usually expensive."

"I've got some extra money from Mikuo," Miku said. I gave in. "I suppose we could take a look." We walked back to the main road and found the stand Miku was talking about. The man there was selling exotic fruits from all over the world. "Would you ladies like something sweet?" he asked. He pulled out 2 slices of a fruit with orange flesh. Miku and I eagerly took the slices and ate them. It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. It was so sweet and juicy. I wanted more.

"What is it?" I asked. "An orange. They grow in the warmer part of the country," he explained. "They're not incredibly rate, but they're sometimes hard to get here up North."

"We'll take 2," Miku said, grabbing some money from her pockets. The man handed us 2 oranges and took the money. "Thank you for your business," he smiled. "You lovely ladies have a wonderful day." Miku and I thanked him and left. We wandered around the market a bit more. There were all kinds of neat things. Someone was selling necklaces and bracelets. One stall had silk and rugs. Another sold beautiful dresses fit for a princess. I wished I had enough money to buy everything, but I didn't. I'd have to wait another day to buy a beautiful dress like that.

I noticed that the sun was beginning to set. It was probably time to head back. I told Mikuo we'd be back by tomorrow, but being home before midnight would be great. "Let's go," I told Miku. We started heading back to where we left Josephine. As we turned the corner, I noticed a strange poster on a building. I walked closer to it so I could read it. It had an announcement from palace on it.

 **IF ANYONE HAS SEEN THE MISSING PRINCE, PLEASE SEND WORD TO THE PALACE IMMEDIATELY. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THE PRINCE'S WEARABOUTS WILL BE AMPLY REWARDED. IF THE PRINCE IS RETURNED ALIVE AND WELL, THE REWARD WILL BE DOUBLED.**

"The prince is missing!?" I shouted in confusion. "Why now? This is going to ruin everything!" Miku looked at me nervously. "We should tell Kaito," she said. "He'll want to know about this."

"If the prince is out running around, that means there are guards after him," I worried. "If the guards find the village, we're screwed."

"We need to get back," Miku said. I nodded in agreement. We quickly ran to Josephine and headed home. The sun was still in the sky, but it would be dark soon. Miku held the basket with all our groceries, as I rode. I coaxed Josephine to go faster. This kind of news couldn't wait.

"I wonder how long that notice has been up there," I said. "The palace guards could be close and we wouldn't even know it."

"You should ask Len," Miku suggested. "A rich kid like him might know something about the prince. If he doesn't know anything about it, that means the notice could only be a week old at most. Len's only been here a week, right?"

"Less than that," I said. "I'll ask him once we alert Kaito."

"What do you think we should do after that?" Miku wondered. "We can't send the entire village into hiding."

"We'll just have to hope that the prince gets found before we do."

"Here's an idea," Miku said. "What if we found him instead? That would make things a lot easier."

"The prince could be anywhere in this country. Maybe even anywhere in the world. What are the chances even being close by? They're slim, and besides, we'd have to get rid of him."

"Exactly," Miku smiled. "Then all our problems would be solved. We wouldn't have to worry about guards or even the plan. We could just live life peacefully."

"Except for the death penalty for killing the prince," I reminded her. "If the find the village, we're all dead. No one's doing any killing unless it's part of the plan. That'll ensure no one gets into too much trouble. We can't risk it." Miku sighed, but understood. It was to risking to make a move without a strategy. Besides, the chances of prince even being nearby were next to impossible.


	7. Chapter 7

**Rin's POV**

I urged Josephine to go faster. We needed to return to the village as soon as possible. My greatest fear was that we would be exposed. I had a nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen. What would happen to our precious place, my only home? That devil of a prince has already destroyed my life before. I can't let him do it again.

The ride back to the village felt like forever. Even though we were moving fast, it wasn't fast enough. The sun was gone and the moon was starting to rise. Its bright light illuminated the ground. After what felt like hours, we finally arrived. The village seemed empty since everyone was probably in their homes about to go to bed. I left Josephine at the stables and then Miku and I rushed off to find Kaito. As we approached his house, I noticed that there was still light. Good, he was awake.

I knocked loudly on his door. There was no response. I started to get nervous. Was he not home? Did something happen? Were we too late? What if the guards came and took everyone to prison? I knocked on the door harder and began to shout. "Kaito! Kaito!" I said, pounding my fists against the wooden door. Miku stood behind me nervously. Just as we were about to give up hope, a tired looking Kaito answered the door. His hair was a mess. He must have already fallen asleep and forgotten to put out the candle.

"What are you two doing?" he complained. "I was trying to sleep. It's been a long day. Training Len isn't that easy you know. That kid really sucks at fighting…" Kaito trailed off, grumbling about how rough of a day it had been. "There's a problem," I said seriously. Kaito crossed his arms and frowned. "What kind of problem?"

"The prince has gone missing," I revealed. I tried to stay calm, but I was too anxious. The fear in my voice was obvious. Kaito's face turned pale and his eyes widened. His tired look disappeared and his full attention was on me. "What do you mean?" he replied. "He just disappeared," I began to explain. "There are dozens of wanted posters for him in the next town over. Rebels and the palace guards are out looking for him. This could jeopardize the plan. Even worse, we could get caught by someone. What could happen to the village?"

"Calm down," Kaito said, patting my head. He turned to Miku, who was maintaining a cool head this whole time. "Is all this true?" he asked her. She nodded with a sad frown. Kaito pursed his lips and gave a sigh. "This could be a problem," he said as he bit his lip. "We'll need to postpone everything until the prince is found. We can't risk getting caught. It's not worth it." My heart sank. I knew waiting was a better option, but I wasn't content with waiting any longer. I needed the prince gone. More importantly, I needed my brother back.

"You two should go home and sleep," Kaito said. "We can talk about this in the morning with everyone else. I'm sure someone will have an idea of what to do. Don't worry too much about it. Everything will be fine." Miku and I solemnly agreed and returned home. We were both tired and stressed. Kaito offered to let Miku sleep at his house, but she sadly declined. She knew Mikuo wouldn't be very happy if she agreed.

I walked back home, ready to fall asleep as soon as I returned. The day had quickly turned awful. I opened the door to my small home and was surprised to see Len there, sitting on a chair like an obedient dog. It looked like he was waiting for me. It was strange. I assumed that he would already be in bed. He had a long day of training, especially after what Kaito had said. "H-hello," I said, as I sat my bag down by the door. "Shouldn't you be in bed? You've had a long day and need some sleep." Len said nothing. He continued to sit there. He looked like he was deep in thought. I wonder what he could be thinking about. Though I was exhausted, I felt bad about ignoring Len and going to sleep. He must have felt lonely today, considering he spent all that time with Kaito.

"How was practice?" I attempted to start a conversation, hoping that we would both eventually end up in bed. I grabbed myself a slice of bread since I had eaten since the orange. I took a seat next to Len. That got his attention. His face turned a little red. "None of your business," he replied, getting defensive. I giggled at his embarrassment. How bad could it have been? Wouldn't nobles like him normally have some kind of sword training? Or maybe he was one of those nobles who sat around and did nothing all day. The latter seemed to fit Len's personality. Now I couldn't help but smile. In an instant, Len had helped me forget my worries, even just for a second.

"You should really get some sleep," I reminded him. "You'll have to do it all again tomorrow. Plus, everyone is getting together in the morning to discuss… err… important matters." I wasn't sure if I should tell Len about what happened today. I didn't want to scare him considering how much stress he was under lately.

"What kind of matters?" he asked. "Not that I care though," he added immediately after. I sighed at his response. I know he's had a tough week, but his attitude doesn't seem to get any better. Someday, he'll be able to act normal around me. He should know he doesn't have to be afraid to say what he's thinking around me. He's too caught up in appearances.

"I'll tell you in the morning," I yawned. I stretched my arms and stood up. "But I'm not kidding," I added sternly, just like a mother would. "You need some sleep." Len rolled his eyes, but stood up to head to bed. As he walked past me, he tried to look annoyed, but his face had a faint smile. Maybe he was warming up to me better than I thought. When Len disappeared upstairs, I decided to go to sleep to. I was nervous about what was going to happen in the morning.

 **\- THE NEXT MORNING –**

Someone was tapping me on the head. It wasn't a soft tap either. It was more of a hard poke. Someone was trying hard to wake me up. "Rin!" a voice loudly yelled into my ear. I jumped up and fell out of the small chair I decided to sleep in. Len was standing there with a satisfied smile. "It took you a while to wake up," he said sadistically. "Kaito is calling everyone outside. He wants to talk about that thing you mentioned before." Len walked outside, leaving me alone. Though I was a bit annoyed, I was happy that Len was comfortable enough to joke with me. The thought of it made my cheeks redden.

Knowing that Kaito's announcement was important, I decided not to waste time to change clothes. I quickly went outside and headed towards the center of town, where the meeting would be held. Everyone was already there. Luka and Gakupo were standing next to each other, looking concerned. Meiko was grabbing tightly onto Kiyoteru. As expected, she was hungover from last night. Miku was holding Oliver and Yuki close. They wouldn't understand the news, but they would notice that everyone would be on edge. Even Gumi had skipped working in the fields this morning to hear the announcement.

Kaito stood in the center of it all with a nervous expression. He cleared his throat loudly and all the nervous chatter immediately stopped. Kaito looked at everyone and began to speak. "I have important news for you all…"

 **Len's POV**

Kaito's face was serious. It reminded me of Dell's on the night I had to flee the castle. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. Something was wrong. I knew that Kaito was going to talk about the think Rin had hinted at last night. Why didn't she tell me what is was?

"I have important news for you all…" Kaito started. Well, of course. Why else would everyone be here if it wasn't important. "It's news about the prince," Kaito resumed. My heart stopped. They were talking about me. Did they find out my identity? Were they going to kill me? A new sense of fear coursed through my body. It was even worse than on the night I ran away from the palace. Here, I had no chance of escape. Though they were nice people, they claimed that I had ruined their lives and they were hungry for revenge. The "friendships" that were starting to form couldn't hold up against years of hatred.

"He's been reported missing," Kaito said. "That means there are guards out there looking for him. Our village is in danger. If we are discovered, we could all get arrested. No one is safe. We'll have to take extra precautions from now on. We might be fine, but we can't risk it." I breathed a sigh of relief. So they didn't know about me, but there was a bigger problem. What would happen if the guards found me? Though I was cursed, I felt like I had gotten attached to these people, especially Rin. I think that even a great prince like me would feel guilty if she was locked up. I couldn't do that to her.

But why were the guards searching for me? Was it finally safe to return home? Was this how Dell was going to contact me? I thought he would come for me personally, but I guess he won't. He is a lazy person. He wouldn't waste his time if someone else could do it for him. Still, I wasn't sure that I wanted to leave. I've only been here for about a week, but I like it more than the palace. I couldn't describe how I felt about this palace. Though life was harder and lacked many luxuries, it was better.

The nervous chatter began again. Everyone was in a panic. Everything they had worked for over the past few years was in jeopardy. They could lose their friends, family, and the life they had all come together to create. There was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't identify it, but if felt terrible. I wanted to throw up. My head started to throb. Did I eat something funny? I looked for Rin in the crowd, hoping she could help me. When I found her, her face was clouded with worry. She was looking up at the sky, almost like she was praying for help. The feeling in my stomach got even worse. I couldn't handle it. My legs felt weak, and I fell onto my knees. What was this?

Rin noticed me and started to shout. "Len!" She ran over and threw her arms around me to stop me from collapsing completely. I gave a loud groan. Rin called out to Luka to grab some medicine and come back immediately. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Luka run off. There was a circle around me now. The news about my disappearance was less important now. They were more concerned that I was in pain. Everyone gave me nervous looks, unsure of what to do to help. I became dizzy. I didn't think I could stay conscious any longer.

"Len, stay with me," Rin whispered as she held me up. She was trying to remain calm for my sake. Her hand was on the back of my neck, propping up my head. Though I was in severe pain, I noticed that she looked really beautiful today. I had never really noticed if before. I tried to nod to show her I heard her, but I couldn't stay awake any longer. I felt my body go limp and I closed my eyes. I passed out, but I could still hear the cries of everyone around me. One scream in particular stood out among all the rest. Rin had yelled the loudest out of everyone. She sounded so worried. Her grip on my body tightened. "Are you okay?" she cried. "Wake up!"

Why, I wondered before my mind switched off. Why do you care about me so much? It'll only hurt you in the end. You don't know anything. And with those final thoughts, I lost all consciousness and found myself asleep in darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

**Len's POV**

When I finally woke up again, I felt someone place a cool, wet rag on my forehead. I noticed that I was lying in my bed back at Rin's home. Rin was hovering above me, wiping sweat from my forehead with another rag. She looked worried. "You're finally awake!" she exclaimed happily. "Thank goodness, you had everyone so worried. You've been unconscious for an entire day!" I slowly sat up, though my body still felt awful. Was I out for an entire day? I tried to pretend that I was perfectly find. After all, a prince shouldn't appear weak before his subjects.

Rin must have notice me faking it because she pushed me back down. "You're not getting up yet!" she said, "You need to stay in bed until you're fully recovered. I can't have you collapsing again!"

"But what about lessons?" I asked, hoping this would be a good excuse to get up. Rin shook her head and frowned. "That can wait. You need to stay in bed until you feel better, however long that takes." I gave a groan. I didn't really feel like spending the day in a tiny, cramped room. I'd rather be outside practicing. "Don't worry," Rin started again. "I'll stay with you until you're better." She smiled and then disappeared to make some food.

A small smile emerged on my face. I hadn't smiled in years simply because I couldn't. But something was different now. I didn't have any trouble with it. It just started to happening. It felt like the bonds that witch placed on me were weakening, but why? What had changed from then to now?

 **Rin's POV**

I decided to make a light meal for Len and then go over to Luka's to get some more medicine. She had given me some herbs that were pain relievers, but I had already given them all to Len while he slept. I was worried that he could be really sick. It was uncommon for disease to suddenly strike and kill people. With all the commotion, I don't know if I'll be able to give him proper treatment. But he seems to be recovering quickly. He's back to his usual self, at least he was when I talked with him.

I chopped some vegetables and placed them in a pot of water that was on the fire. As I cooked, my mind wandered back to my greatest worry, the prince. There hadn't been much discussion on what to do because Len had passed out. I know Kaito and some of the other guys spent yesterday trying to figure something out, but I don't know if they have a plan. There wasn't much we could do. An entire village couldn't go into hiding, but we can't attack if we don't know where the prince is. Why was he missing in the first place? He doesn't strike me as the type to leave his lavish and luxurious lifestyle. There were rumors of riots around the castle. Could they have forced him to flee?

The soup was finished, so I poured some into a bowl. I waited a few minutes for it to cool down and walked upstairs to bring it to Len. When I arrived, he was fast asleep again. With a smile, I set the bowl on the bedside table and left him. Len's sleeping face was stuck in my mind. He looked so peaceful, so different from when we first met. He's adjusted to living here and has opened up not just to me, but everyone. I think I've really started to open up to him too.

I went back to the kitchen and put out the cooking fire. Then, I headed off to Luka's to pick up the extra medication. Her house was a quick walk away. Luka was waiting by the door for me, holding the extra medicine I requested. She had it wrapped in a small bag. "How's he feeling?" she asked. "Much better," I smiled. "He's already trying to sneak out of bed, but I'll make sure he stays put."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Luka asked. "At first, I thought it was a grave illness, but with the way you describe his recovery, I'm not so sure anymore." I thought to myself for a moment. I couldn't think of anything that would've caused Len to collapse like that. It could have been from the heat, though it wasn't that hot yesterday. Maybe it was sickness.

"I don't know," I replied truthfully. "He's doing better though, so we shouldn't be too worried. He's a strong boy." Luka bit her lip in worry. She seemed preoccupied by another thought. "I should go back," I told Luka after thanking her again for the medicine. "I'm sure Len would like this as soon as possible." With that, I ran back home.

Before I made it, I was stopped by Miku, who had been taking a walk with her brother. She still appeared to be worried about the prince, though she was worried about Len too. "Mikuo has been trying to figure out a plan," she told me. "He hasn't stopped thinking about it since yesterday. I think he's worried that something might happen to me again."

"I'd be worried too if I had a cute, little sister like you," I smiled. "You know he's just nervous because he wants to protect you."

"I know, but I can protect myself now," Miku added, her face cheering up a bit. "If I wanted anyone to protect me, I'd want it to be Kaito." She got that dreamy look in her eyes again. She was clearly lovestruck. I gave her a smile and told her not to worry anymore. I said good-bye and then quickly went home. Len really needed this medicine.

When I was back in the house, I grabbed a small glass and filled it with water from the well. I crushed the medicine and poured it into the water, letting it sit. It smelled foul, but most medicine usually did. Still, it would make the pain go away. I brought the glass up to Len. When I was back in his room, I noticed that the soup bowl was still there full. He must not have woken up and eaten it yet. I'll have to wake him up to take this medicine then. I leaned over to jostle him awake when he started to mumble something. He looked like he was in pain, even though he was asleep.

"Dell… don't…" he mumbled quietly. Who's Dell? Is something wrong? Len's face was sweaty, even though the blankets were at the end of the bed. He continued to moan as he tossed and turned in bed. "Don't…" Len said again. His eyes were still firmly shut. "Don't touch her…" he groaned. What kind of nightmare is he having? I leaned closer to him in worry.

"Len!" I yelled into his ear. Immediately, his eyes opened and he was surprised to see me hovering above him in bed. "Are you okay? You were having a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Len asked, sounding a bit confused. He seemed to be a bit disoriented. "I haven't had one of those in years."

"You were mumbling about someone named Dell," I told him. "You were begging him not to touch 'her'…" Len's face turned place. He looked worried. Was this Dell someone bad from Len's past? Maybe Len's past was darker than I had imagined. "Drink this," I commanded. I tried to change the subject by giving Len the glass filled with medicine. He scrunched his nose at the smell. "It's awful," he frowned. "I already forced you to drink some while you slept," I confessed. "Just drink it and you'll feel better. It'll make some of the pain go away." Len reluctantly drank everything in the glass, though he looked a little green afterwards.

"Eat some of the soup too," I said. I grabbed the soup bowl and set it in his hands. Len nodded and started to eat. I stood up to leave the room, when I heard Len mutter a quiet "thank you". My heart fluttered as I closed the door. My cheeks felt warm. Just a mere thank you was enough to make me overjoyed. Everything felt warm and happy. I knew what this feeling was. I had seen it with Miku and Kaito, and so many others. It wasn't a foreign feeling to me.

It was love, simple as that. I didn't doubt it, but I didn't question it either. In the short time I had known Len, there was something about him that won me over despite all his flaws. He had a bad attitude occasionally and his manners weren't the best, but he was more than that. He was special to me. Everything seemed to happen so fast it seemed almost hard to believe, but that was okay.

I can't worry about things like love right now though. There's a bigger problem at hand. The prince is the big issue. I can't let anything distract me from it. Aside from Len's temporary accident, nothing is more important. I pressed my hand against my heart and smiled. I was reminded of my brother. He was always willing to risk himself for me, like how I was prepared to do for my village and friends. I also felt that Len had filled the void Rinto had left me. I felt like I had a family again.

 **Luka's POV**

Something about Len's sudden collapse seemed odd to me. He was perfectly fine until he heard the announcement. I saw his face when Kaito announced the news. He had a different reaction than everyone else. Was his sickness an emotional reaction to something? He wasn't worried or nervous. Instead, he seemed frightened and looked guilty. I think this triggered his collapse. Something crossed his mind that caused him to panic and black out. Why did the news of the prince cause this?

Len's hiding something from us and it could be valuable information. I'd hate to think that he could be hiding something, especially since Rin has grown so fond of him. I can tell he's filled her void. She's become so close to him. His attitude is awful, but Rin doesn't mind. I hope her poor heart isn't broken by a boy like him.

Now I have all kinds of questions about Len. When I think about it, the circumstances surrounding his appearance are strange. A mysterious noble appears out of nowhere at the same time of the prince's disappearance. Along with that, he seems to be nervous whenever anyone mentions the prince. I'll have to report my suspicions to Kaito. He would know what to do. Len knows more than he's letting on and I need to discover what. I just can't let Rin know.


	9. Chapter 9

**Len's POV**

I had expected to spend most of the day stuck in bed with Rin watching over me the entire time. Instead, I slept through the entire day. The medicine Rin have me was extremely potent. It made the pain go away, but it also sent me straight to sleep. When I woke up again, I felt much better, but I was a bit disappointed. I had slept the entire day away. I felt like I had missed something important, but I couldn't tell what.

I carefully got out of bed. My legs weren't feeling weak anymore and I could easily stand. I felt like I had never collapsed in the first place. I wandered downstairs, and found Rin lying on the floor asleep. The downstairs was covered in dishes and food. Rin must have been cooking. She was covered in a fair amount of dirt to. She probably had practiced outside for a while. I walked over to her, and lightly kicked her. She groaned, and flipped over, grabbing onto my foot. I didn't know how to react. I just stood there with her still holding onto my foot. I tried shaking it to get her off. She still seemed sound asleep and didn't let go. She was holding tightly, like how a child would hold onto its beloved teddy bear.

I shook my foot harder, a bit irritated that she wouldn't let go. However, I ended up accidentally kicking her in the face. Immediately, she woke up and let out a cry of pain. She let go of my foot and put her hands to her face. "You were on my foot," I explained, thinking that was a good enough explanation. Rin stood up, still holding her hands to her face. There seemed to be small tears in the corners of her eyes from the pain. I expected her to start crying, but instead she started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked. I kicked her in the face. People didn't normally laugh about that. Still, she was laughing and her face was starting to turn a bit pink. I started to laugh along with her since her laugh was so infectious. It felt good. I hadn't laughed in years.

"Len, you need to learn how to handle people better," Rin giggled. "You can't just kick people in the face. You're lucky it was me this time."

"It was an accident!" I protested, my face heating up. "I didn't mean to. Sorry." I frowned and tried to keep a straight face, trying to show the sincerity of my apology. My expression caused Rin to laugh even more, and through her laugh I knew my apology had been accepted.

"What's going on in here?" a voice said from outside. Leaning on the windowsill were Kaito and Miku. The two of them were standing awfully close. Isn't is disgusting to be so close to some else? Other people can be so dirty. "Nothing!" Rin smiled in reply to Miku's question. "Len was just waking me up." She skipped over to the window to talk with them.

"What are you both doing here?" Rin asked. "It's not like Miku to wake up so early in the morning. She can be such a grouch." Miku's face turned red, and she quickly turned to Kaito, telling him that Rin was lying. Kaito only laughed and Miku turned even redder. "Anyways," Miku said, attempting to regain her composure. "We came over to tell about a special party we're all throwing tonight. Everyone has been in such a panic lately. We thought it would be a good idea to lighten things up for a bit. Everyone could use a mood boost."

"A party!" Rin exclaimed. "We haven't had one of those in a long time!"

"Yep!" Miku smiled. "And you're going to spend the day with me so we can ready." Miku ran around the house to the door. She quickly opened it and ran inside. She grabbed Rin's hand and pulled her away. "See you boys later!" she waved as the two of them ran off to who knows where.

"You and I get to spend the day together," Kaito said, walking into the house. "But we aren't going to waste the day, like the girls. We have work to do." Kaito pulled a sword out of nowhere and pointed it at me. "Go grab your things and we'll get started." I went off to grab my own sword. I was starting to become adjusted to Kaito's practices. My endurance was getting better and so were my skills, thought there were nowhere near as good as Kaito's. However, I'm not too concerned about my sword skills. A prince like me has people to do it for me, but I should learn to protect myself at least a little bit. In the case that everyone turns on me if they discover I'm the prince.

I followed Kaito to our normal practice spot. It was a shaded area by a small lake, surrounded by trees. It was nice and cool, perfect for practice on hot days. As punishment for doing bad, sometimes Kaito made me swim in the lake. "Are you ready?" Kaito asked, as he held his sword firmly in the air. "I'm not going to hold back today." I nodded and gripped my sword tightly. He lunged at me, running at a frightening speed. I tried to get out of the way, but wasn't quite fast enough. Kaito's sword had scraped my cheek, leaving a cut.

The cut stung, but I couldn't stop fighting for something like that. I would die immediately in a real fight. Even a prince like me should be able to handle more than a little cut. While Kaito turned around to strike at me again, I swung my sword back. It collided with his, creating a loud, clanging sound. I was amazed at how quickly he could defend. Each of us tried to get a swing at each other's weak spots. I knew for Kaito, it was his back. He was fast, but couldn't always turn around at fast as he wanted. He could leave himself wide open. My weakness was my head. My reflexes were too slow. I couldn't duck out of the way fast enough. If Kaito wanted, he could swing his sword around and take my head right off.

Our fights usually continued for a few minutes or until we were too tired to go on. Kaito could fight for longer than me, but he got tired quickly in the heat. After a good practice fight, Kaito would correct my form and point out what I did wrong during the fight. The little things that he fixed would help me become a deadly and efficient fighter.

"No!" Kaito shouted. "You have to hold it higher; otherwise, you'll miss the target." Kaito was a tough teacher. He wasn't afraid to yell or punish me. It irritated me sometimes, since I should be the one telling others what to do, but I was grateful for the help. He was trying to teach me to protect myself. I felt a sense of gratitude towards him. I had never had that for anyone else in the past.

After a few hours of training and a harsh swim in the lake, Kaito declared that practice was finally over. The two of us collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. We laid there for a while, trying to regain some energy. I was too tired to move. "Do you ever think of going home?" Kaito suddenly asked. His eyes were up at the sky, admiring the clouds. He seemed lost in another world. "You've been here for some time, but you've never said anything about it."

"Home… it's not a good place for me right now," I said, trying to be nonchalant. I didn't want to risk revealing any details. "Don't you have someone to go back to?" Kaito said. "A place where you're welcome and people miss you." I almost laughed. At the palace, I assumed people were still rioting in the streets, creating problems and protesting about foolish things. They certainly didn't want me back.

"All I have is my cousin," I confessed. "He's all I really have left. There are servants and butlers, but they don't care about me. It's never really bothered me though."

"Lucky," Kaito sighed. "That's more than most of us. Our families and friends have been completely destroyed by the prince. My parents were taken, but they didn't love me much. Still, I was basically left all on my own. Rin lost her only brother. Oliver and Yuki lost their parents. So many others have suffered too. Yeah, you're lucky."

For a moment, there was silence. Was I really that lucky? I was more fortunate than the others. I had Dell and people who pretended to like me. People would wait on me and heed my every whim. I could eat whatever I wanted and do whatever I pleased. I didn't have to live a harsh life in fear like everyone in the village. I didn't have to worry about my safety or how I would protect others. Maybe I was lucky.

But all this pain that everyone has suffered; is it all my fault? Whenever I hear Kaito's stories, I don't remember doing most of those things. I must have though. Who else could it be? To think about the terrible things I've done makes that sick feeling come back. "Let's not think about all that crap," Kaito said, sitting up. "Sorry I brought it up. We can't be so negative. We should focus on all the good things we have now. I mean without the prince, I never would have met Miku." Kaito's eyes became distant and he turned a bit red.

"That's all beside the point," Kaito said. "We need to get ready for this party. We deserve some fun. Let's go and clean up a bit. Maybe a change of clothes would be good. We're pretty gross." Kaito stuck out his hand and helped me stand up. He seemed excited about the party, and I felt a bit of excitement too.

 **Rin's POV**

"Miku, is this really worth the trouble?" I asked. I was sitting on her bed as she was looking through her drawer. "It's just a small party to have some fun. It's not a fancy ball."

"It doesn't matter," Miku frowned. "A party is a party and I'm not letting an opportunity like this go. This is a chance to wear a nice dress and impress Kaito. He might even dance with me," Miku added dreamily. Her imagination was becoming wild.

"Dancing?" I asked. "Of course," Miku nodded. "There'll be music and everything. Kiyoteru will play his fancy instrument, and Gumi will play her fiddle. That'll be enough. Even if it isn't the same type of music that prince gets, it's enough for me!"

"Can you even dance?" I asked. Miku nodded, and pulled out a dress from her small drawer. It was simple, nothing fancy, but it would be enough to impress Kaito. It was a light blue. I already knew it would look beautiful on her. Everything always did, but I wonder where she got the fabric for that? I don't remember buying anything like that from the market place.

"There's one for you too!" Miku exclaimed, pulling out another dress. It was yellow and very beautiful. The stitching looked like Miku's, but I still wondered where she got all this fabric. "Where did you get the stuff to make these?" I asked. I held the dress carefully, admiring it. I hadn't been able to where a dress since Rinto was taken away. Dresses were impractical and were hard to run in. They were a foolish thing to wear in battle.

"I sent Mikuo out to get supplies some time ago, just for emergencies like this," Miku smiled. "Besides, what does it matter? We just need to enjoy tonight. We don't get fun like this often. We're always so focused on revenge and all that. It's kind of sad."

"I suppose your right," I sighed. It was sad that we were devoting our lives to overthrowing the prince, but what else could we do. It was the only way I could get Rinto back. That was worth all the hardships we had gone through. It would bring closure to our lives.

"Now let's clean up," Miku said. "The party will be starting a few hours before sunset. That doesn't give us much time to get ready." Miku showed me to a bucket of water to wash my hands in. I glanced at my reflection in the water. My face was a bit dirty, and my hair was a mess. I remember a time when I could care about appearances. Rinto would always help me fix my bow, and made sure I looked tidy. He was always so serious about his big brother duties.

Now I was on my own, and I didn't have time to care about appearances. There were people to feed and work to do. It was all more important, though sometimes I wish I didn't have to live like this. I catch myself thinking about my life from before. You never know how good you have it until it's gone. It only took one person to take it all away and create some much pain. It only took one awful prince. Though I hate the prince, I envy him. He gets to live life to its fullest, not ever having to worry about anything.

That was the life that everyone would love to live, but only people like him can. I took another look at the dress Miku had made for me and smiled. Tonight was a night to indulge and forget our problems. Perhaps I could use a break. I plunged my hands into bucket, and splashed water on my face. The dirt came off, and I saw specks of it in the bucket. My face looked cleaner and in the reflection, I could see my smiling face. I was excited. This would be a night of fun that we wouldn't get for a long time. I couldn't wait to enjoy it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dell's POV**

 _Earlier that morning…_

"Sir, what would you like us to do?" one of the guards asked. "All the men are awaiting your command. We will head out whenever you are ready." A devious smile spread across my lips. Today would be a day worth celebrating; the day where all my years of hard works and plans finally bear fruit. Today, I would finally destroy that little bratty prince. "Send out all available men. Give the command," I told the guard. "I'll accompany you. I can't wait to see the pathetic prince's face when he sees me. I'll be his savior, his light in the dark. It will make his death all the more satisfying." The guard nodded in response and ran off to prepare the others. He didn't object, as I predicted. All the guards detested the prince. There wasn't anyone who opposed my plan.

I stood up and headed towards the stables to prepare my horse. As I went, I walked through the throne room, where a large, beautiful throne sat empty. It looked almost sad, but it would have a new owner soon. It would belong to me. I could taste the power already. My taking of throne would send the entire kingdom into celebration. Those lowly peasants would celebrate the death of the evil prince who had wronged all their lives. How foolish they are, really.

It was too simple to trick them into believing that the prince was the cause of all their pain and suffering. The taxes, the torture, and all the arrests were deeds that the prince was too stupid to even think of. Of course, I was the mastermind behind everything. For years, I had slowly pieced my plan together, biding my time. I've always intended to remove the prince from power. Everything has gone perfectly. All my waiting will finally pay off.

I let my horse out of the stables and jumped on. In front of the castle gates, I could see many of the guards sitting, ready on their horses. I had decided to let some of the guards stay behind, in case something went awry. Only my most trusted would accompany me. Surrounding the guards was a large mass of people, wondering what was going on. The guards rarely left the castle. They knew it there must be an extreme circumstance.

I had my horse trot over to the crowd. I took a spot in front of the massive crowd. The peasants looked up at me and gawked. "People of this fine kingdom," I announced, speaking with confidence and vigor. "Today will be the beginning of a new era, time of change. Today, we will rid ourselves of our prince and freedom will ring out through the streets. Today, the heavens will cry tears of joy when the greatest sinner is vanquished from this world. Today, we will take back what is ours!" I hosted my sword in the air and the people gave a loud cheer. There were shouts of joy and even tears. Good, they were riled up now. How predictable. I gave the crowd a smile and then the guards and I set off.

"Where do we go?" the captain of the guards asked. "Just follow me," I grinned. "If things went according to plan, I know exactly where the prince is."

 **Luka's POV**

The town was full of excitement as everyone was getting ready for the party. However, I could not let myself sit idly with so many questions on my mind. Outside my window, I could see Len and Kaito practicing. It looked like they were almost finished. They had cleaned up their stuff and now where heading to Kaito's to prepare for the celebration. I had to talk to Len before he got too far.

I quickly ran out of the house, towards them. "Excuse me!" I shouted. The two looked up at me in surprise. I came over and grabbed Len's hand. "Excuse me, but I really need to talk to Len. It's urgent business." Both Len and Kaito looked very confused.

"Sorry, Luka," Kaito apologized. "But we were going to get ready, so we don't really have time right now. I have to help Len get ready, and I'm guessing that he's hopeless when it comes to impressing the ladies." Len looked down at his feet, his face a bit red.

"It's really important though," I reiterated. I couldn't get this off my mind. I had a nagging feeling that something bad was coming. "Shouldn't you be getting ready too?" Kaito asked, completely ignoring me. "Gakupo will be disappointed if you don't look great tonight." It was my turn to turn red-faced. I gave Kaito a glare and walked away angrily. That man is so stubborn sometimes. If only he knew about my concerns, maybe he wouldn't ignore me. I bet he's too preoccupied thinking about Miku and the party tonight. I swear, the man has a one-track mind. I just hope not speaking out will not come back to bite us later.

 **Len's POV**

I was a little worried about what Luka had to talk to me about. She seemed to think it was very important, but of course Kaito ignored her. He can be ignorant like that sometimes. She looked so concerned though. I continued to follow Kaito until we arrived at his house. He let me inside, and took me up to a small room, which I assumed was his bedroom.

"So, I don't have any super fancy clothes like you're probably used to," Kaito explained. "I've got whatever Miku's made for me in the past." Kaito brought out a few pieces of clothing. He was right. They were nothing like the clothes I had to wear at the castle whenever there was a special occasion. In fact, they were probably lower quality than what I normally wore to bed.

"Miku really will do anything for you, won't she?" I asked. Kaito's face turned red, and he made it so clear that he loved her. Even an emotionless guy like me can figure out the simple things like that. It's a wonder that those two haven't advanced any further yet. Kaito threw some clothes at me, with an irritated look. "Just try this on," he ordered.

I put on the clothes and to my surprise they fit really well. I couldn't see how I looked because there was no mirror, but I assumed that I looked quite good. Kaito nodded in approval and changed into some clothes himself. By this time, it was about mid-day and the party would start a little bit before night time. Outside Kaito's window, I could see people preparing. Gumi had set up some makeshift tables and was setting down some food that she had grown. The two little kids, Oliver and Yuki, were running around happily, spreading some quickly made decorations everywhere. The atmosphere was happy and it was unlike anything that I had experienced back home. I could feel the excitement in the air.

"Should we go help out?" Kaito suggested. I nodded, and the two of us headed outside to assist everyone in setting up the celebration.

After another hour of setting up, it was time for the party to being. Everyone came out of their homes dressed in their nicest clothing. To them, a party was a reason to go all out because they never got to have them often. Everyone was gathered in the town center which was decorated with lots of flowers that Yuki and Oliver had picked. Different people took turns playing music with some old instruments they had. Kiyoteru started by playing a violin, which I remembered he always played when he worked at the castle. It had been a long time since I had heard such beautiful music.

Luka came out with Gakupo and the two of them were sticking close together. Luka seemed to be a lot more light-hearted than she was earlier. Mikuo arrived a bit after and passed by us. He gave Kaito a glare, warning him to back off of his sister. Then he ran off to go dance with Gumi. The three girls I had met a while ago were hanging out together. I think their names were Neru, Haku and Teto. They were just chatting away.

Kaito and I waited around for a minute, doing nothing. I knew that Kaito was expecting Miku to arrive, and I had nothing better to do than wait with him. The two of us waited for a few more minutes when Rin and Miku arrived together. I gasped when I saw the both of them. Despite not having any fancy clothes or make-up, the two managed to make themselves look beautiful. The dresses they had on seemed to have been hand-made, but that didn't make them any less beautiful. The two walked over here, and both my face and Kaito's turned red. My stomach felt fluttery, and I cursed underneath my breath. Why did I feel so funny again?

"Hello," Rin smiled, as she walked up to me. She curtsied. She looked even prettier up close. "You look nice," I complimented. She smiled and turned a bit red. "Would you like to dance a bit?" she asked with a grin. "The song Kiyoteru is playing is really pretty. It's one of my favorites." I nodded, and she took my hand and pulled me towards the center of the square.

Many other couples were dancing in the center too. Rin began to dance and I tried to go along with her. I was never really taught how to dance at the palace. It was never one of Dell's main concerns for me, though I was invited to many parties. I usually never danced. I had always found it silly, but right now was different.

Rin and I danced, both of us laughing. We tried to dance more of an elegant dance, but were failing. Neither of us knew the steps to the dance and looked like fools, but it was fun. This moment felt better than any other before. I felt what I knew was happiness. I had never really felt it before, but I knew exactly what it was. At the time, it didn't even cross my mind that I shouldn't have been able to feel happy. Instead, I couldn't take my eyes off Rin.

Rin and I continued to laugh and dance around the square. Everyone else around us was doing the same. We were simply enjoying ourselves for this one moment. Nothing could ruin it. Everyone's thoughts of revenge and sadness disappeared into the air. It was like we were in a perfect world.

After a bit of dancing, Rin and I stopped, feeling a bit tired. We walked over to a small table with some snacks that people had made. "That was a lot of fun," Rin smiled. "I've never danced like that before."

"Neither have I!" I said. "Truthfully, I've never danced before." The two of us stood there, smiling like fools. It was a perfect moment and nothing was wrong. I turned to Rin, and noticed that her face was really red. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something. "Something wrong?" I asked. Rin bit her lip and looked up at me with her big, blue eyes. "There's something that I've been thinking of telling you," Rin said calmly. "It might sound a little crazy and far-fetched, but I want you to know that it's completely true." I nodded, listening intently. Rin took a deep breath and looked up at me. "Len, I…"

Suddenly, there was a loud yell and both Rin and I looked up to see what the commotion was. In the center of the square was a bunch of horses, all with guards on them. I recognized them all. And in the front was Dell sitting proudly on his horse, sword in hand. My greatest fear this whole time had just come true.

"Attention, everyone!" Dell boomed, making himself known to all who didn't realize that he was there. "I apologize for interrupting your celebration, but I have come to retrieve our missing prince." He gave everyone a devious smile. "The prince?" Rin said, concerned. "What do you mean?" she asked, pointing her question at Dell. He smiled and got off his horse and walked over.

"I've come to retrieve the prince," Dell smiled. "It means exactly how it sounds. I've come to get him." Dell stuck out his finger and pointed at me. Rin's face turned white, as she slowly backed away from me. "You're lying, right?" she screamed at Dell in horror. "This is a joke. Right, Len?" She turned to me, and the expression her face made me want to cry. She looked so frightened. I bit my lip, and gave a sigh. However, I said no words. I could think of nothing to say.

By now, everyone had gathered and whispers were among the crowd. Everyone looked alarmed and in disbelief, Luka especially. She seemed to be cursing herself. Dell suddenly grabbed my hand and commanded me to get onto a horse. I didn't want to go, but I felt everyone's gaze stay on me. I knew now that I was not welcome. Everyone had realized that I was the reason their lives had turned to hell, and I would not be forgiven. They were all so shocked that they were silent.

I slowly walked over and got onto Dell's horse, trying to ignore everyone looking at me. Their stares felt like needles on my skin. "Traitor!" someone yelled out in the crowd. I recognized the voice as Kaito's. One of the only friends I had ever had instantly hated me. More people began to cry out and I recognized all their voices. "Disgusting! Traitorous! Someone get him out of here!" people shouted. Even little Yuki and Oliver seemed to look up at me in disgust. Even they knew that I had caused them harm in their lives.

"Thank you all for taking care of the prince while he was away," Dell smiled. "As a reward, I will not let out that this secret village exists. You all can continue to live here as you did before. Good night to all of you."

I looked up from the horse and looked towards Rin who had collapsed onto the ground, almost in tears. I felt like crying too. The greatest person that I had ever met was going to disappear. I bet she hated me now. Her eyes met mine, but hers weren't full of hatred like everyone else's. Instead, they seemed sad. I could see her tears now.

I quickly looked away, not being able to handle the sick feeling in my stomach. I thought I was going to die again. Dell gave the command to have the guards escort me back to the castle. In my mind, I gave a silent good-bye to everyone, knowing that I was hated by all of them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Len's POV**

I sat quietly on the horse, my mind completely blank. I could barely manage even a whisper. I felt like I was going to be sick again. The guards around me also rode silently, but all seemed to be in good spirits. Perhaps, they felt joyful that I was returning to the palace, but I highly doubted that. I couldn't lie to myself any longer. I knew that I was hated. Still, they seemed eager to bring me home.

A bit later, Dell rejoined the party. He was also quite happy and excited to return to the palace. "Don't worry," he told me. "I explained the situation to your… friends." I simply nodded, and pretended to be content with this. However, Rin's face was still etched in my mind. It would go away, and was plaguing me. It was a harsh reminder of how much I had hurt her. "I'm glad you are okay," Dell said, his horse trotting alongside mine. "Every day you were gone, I was consumed with worry. I thought something terrible might have happened to you." Dell's eyes seemed to conflict his emotions. It felt like they were staring a hole through my soul.

The ride back to the castle was quicker than the time it had taken me to arrive at the village. We arrived back at the palace before midnight, but the ride still felt extremely long. I was exhausted. When we arrived, no one was outside the palace, aside from a few guards. I had expected a crowd, a mob even. The party seemed to slip onto the castle grounds, under the cover of darkness without a sound. Everyone seemed to be silent now, even the horses. It was like we were sneaking back in, but that would be ridiculous. Why would we have to be snuck into my own palace?

"Be quiet," Dell whispered to me, as the horses were being sent to the stables. "If we make too much noise, we could alert some rebels that could be infiltrating the castle," he explained. "We don't know who could be watching." It sounded a bit farfetched, but I agreed to keep quiet. No point in taking any unnecessary risks, though I didn't really care anymore.

Dell quickly led me back into the palace. We entered through a side entrance. Inside, it seemed to be much colder than the outside. No fires were lit, and there was no way for the summer air to get inside. It was like the castle was abandoned. "I shall return to my room now," I told Dell, miserably. "I'm very tired, and need some sleep. Thank you for saving me."

"Your room isn't safe," Dell said, though he didn't sound frightened at all. He grabbed my shirt and pulle me back towards him. His grip was tight. "I know for sure that there are traitors within this castle that are planning your demise. The guards haven't been able to 'remove' them, because of the search for you."

"So what are we going to do?" I asked. At this point though, if someone killed me, I don't think I would be upset. It would probably please everyone in the village, especially Rin. In fact, everyone in the country would probably celebrate in the streets. I should just walk into the streets and let the rebels take my life. It would be for the better. For Dell's sake though, I would stay safe. It would be awful to lose a family member you cared about. I knew now the pain of loss and suffering.

"Follow me," Dell said. I followed him, along with four extra guards. I followed him through the throne room, and towards the Western side of the castle. There wasn't very much there, just a few miscellaneous rooms and the kitchen. However, at the very end, there was a large tower. In years past, it had been used to lock up political prisoners. There was no escape, aside from jumping to your death. It had been very effective in the past, but it hadn't been used in years. Most people were locked up in the dungeons near the castle. They were much bigger, and it was easier to handle the amount of prisoners in a large area.

I thought back to what Rin had said about her brother. He was locked up there, somewhere. I decided when day came; I would personally go the dungeons and release him. It was the least I could do for her, after all the pain I put her through. If I did that, would she forgive me? I continued to follow Dell through the West end, and we arrived at a wooden door that was the entrance to the tower.

"You will hide in here," Dell explained. "It is the safest place to be right now. There will be guards stationed at this door and the upper door to ensure your safety. I too will be on watch. No unwanted visitors can get in." Dell motioned with his sword, which looked sharp enough to kill a man with one swing. It would be awful to be caught on the other side of that thing.

Two guards stayed at the door, while the rest of us walked up the stairs. It was no easy trek, but eventually we made it up there. At the top, there was another large door that led into the cell area. Dell pulled out a key and opened the door. He handed the key to one of the guards, and led me inside. The two guards remained at the door to stand guard.

"I apologize, but you'll have to hide here for the night. It is in no way acceptable for a prince, but it'll have to do," Dell said. I walked into the cell. It was by far the largest, and was probably reserved for prisoners that were a part of the royal family. Treason like that had happened in the past. There were some dark stains on the floor, which frightened me a bit. Someone had been hurt, even killed, here.

"Where will you be staying?" I asked Dell. Since he was related to me, he might be in danger too. He smiled at me devilishly. "Right here of course." He reached for his sword, and pulled it out. The moonlight that came out of the cell's small window reflected of the sword, making it seem even deadlier.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," Dell laughed. "You've been a thorn in my side for long enough, you little brat. It's time for a new king in this kingdom." My face turned pale and I gave a gasp. What was Dell doing? Was he going to kill me? There was a sinking feeling in my stomach. The hatred on Dell's face was now so clear. Like all the others, he wanted me dead. He was the only thing I had left and now he was gone too. I collapsed onto my knees and stared blankly up at Dell. I wouldn't resist. I would face his punishment.

"You're so stupid," Dell said, continuing his rant. "I probably could have killed you without sending you out to that stupid village. You're so naïve, you would have trusted me anyways. Though I suppose that makes your death sweeter for me and much more painful for you. I can't wait to savor the moment, when your blood drips through the streets and all the country will hail me as their savior. All the things I have done, you will be accused of. The hatred upon you will be remembered for all of history, and I will be the hero." Dell was laughing hysterically now. He seemed to be a madman.

Outside the cells, I could hear some commotion, but I ignored it. This was it. I was dead. There was nothing that was going to save me. The guards must be in on Dell's plan; otherwise they would've saved me by now. Before I died, I gave a silent prayer for forgiveness. If I die, will everyone forgive me? Will my sins be erased?

 _Meanwhile…_

 **Rin's POV**

As the last of the palace officials left, everyone started to freak out. Kaito was in a fit of range, along with all the other men. Luka seemed to be cursing herself. Miku was beside me, comforting me. And I was in awe. My mind couldn't seem to comprehend what happened. It was all so fast. There was no way. It was impossible. I felt salty tears fall down my face. Miku wrapped her arms around me, trying to make me stop crying, but she remained silent. What was there left to say?

I slowly stood up, Miku helping me, and wiped my tears away. I was stronger than this. I was a fighter, and I could not let myself be taken down over something like this. Shouldn't I be happy? My enemy… our enemy, for years will finally be gone. It was something that I had dreamed of for years now, but things were different now. The prince I had always despised was someone that I come to care about. He was more important to me now, more than anything else in the world. Being around him made me happy, even if he didn't always have the greatest attitude. There was no way I could lie to myself. I liked him, truly liked him. I would be lying to myself if I said that I would enjoy his death.

My thoughts were slowly becoming clearer. I could understand my feelings now, and I knew exactly what I had to do. I wasn't going to let Len die, no way. He might have caused problems for lots of people, but I know now that he didn't do it on purpose. Len just couldn't understand the repercussions of his actions. His personality showed that clearly. He could be cold-hearted and cruel sometimes, but he could be kind and wonderful too. He was an innocent, foolish prince who made mistakes, just like anyone else would have. How can he be punished for that?

"Miku, I'm fine," I told my friend. She nodded, and let go of me. I walked up to Kaito, who was still extremely angry. "That bastard!" Kaito growled. "He took us all for fools, and we fell for it. We shouldn't have let him stay here. We should have killed him right away." All the other men nodded in agreement. They seemed to be just as angry as Kaito.

"Stop it!" I yelled. All turned to me, and stopped talking. "You're all ridiculous!" I shouted. "Len was a friend, and you know it. Kaito, you enjoyed teaching him how to swordfight, even if it was frustrating at sometimes. So don't badmouth him, because you know how amazing of a person Len can be. He's a hard-worker and though he can seem cold-hearted, a nice person. Now isn't the time to turn on him, instead we need to rescue him. He's going to die!" By now, there were tears at the corners of my eyes, but they weren't because I was sad. Instead, I was angry and frustrated. How could everyone just forget about the good in Len in an instant?

"But Rin," Kaito argued. "He's the one that ruined your life, our lives. He's the reason we're stuck here and have spent years waiting to get revenge! Why should we forgive that?"

"He brought us together!" I cried out. "Without him, would we have even met each other? No! Kaito, you'd have never have met Miku. Same with Gakupo and Luka, Meiko and Kiyoteru. Everyone here would be strangers, without Len." Everyone was quiet, as they took my point into consideration.

"That doesn't forgive all the terrible things he's done to us and the whole the country," Mikuo pointed out. "He almost took Miku away from me forever. That's unforgivable." I thought back when I had explained to Len why we all hated the prince and had gathered here. When I explained Miku's almost kidnapping, he was confused. It was like he had never heard of such a thing. In fact, he didn't seem to know anything about why we would hate the prince, aside from people being arrested. Suddenly, pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall in place for me. Could Len not be responsible for all of those crimes? Could he be more innocent than we all thought? But who could have done it instead?

This guess was flimsy, and might not even be true, but it would have to be enough to convince everyone else that Len was worth saving. "Our problems are not Len's fault!" I protested. "He's innocent, and I know it."

"How isn't it his fault?" Kaito demanded. "Who else could have done it?"

"I don't know," I confessed, "but you have to believe me because I believe in him." Kaito thought to himself for a moment, his anger dimming down. He was thinking about what I was saying. If I was lucky, he would believe me. Still, he seemed doubtful.

"I believe Rin," Miku interjected suddenly. "If she trusts Len, we should too. Besides, in the time he stayed here, he never did anything wrong. He could be a little rude sometimes, but besides that, he was a good person. I support Rin, end of story."

"Fine," Kaito sighed. "Rin, I'll trust you on this, but you'd better hope you aren't wrong." Thank you, Miku. Without your input, Kaito would never have believed in me. Love could be a powerful persuasion technique. "I have one more thing to ask," I said. "Who will come with me to save Len?"

"Save him?" Mikuo cried. "Are you insane?"

"If you believe in his innocence," I said, "then yes, save him. We need to bring the real culprit to justice, and save Len. We can do it, we're strong enough! We've been preparing for this!"

"I can't believe that I'm doing this," Kaito said, "but I'll do it. I'm going to put my trust in you, Rin, but if I die you're never going to hear the end of it in the afterlife." I smiled, and readily agreed. "Anyone else?" I asked. Slowly, everyone agreed to help, even Mikuo agreed after a bit of persuading.

"We have to leave now though," I pointed out. "The gray-haired man made it seem like Len's execution will be tonight, so we have no time to waste. Everyone needs to get their swords. And those who can't fight need to prepare all the horses we have, and gather some extra supplies." Everyone went off in their different directions to get ready. The only ones to fight would be the men and me, making us a small force, but we would have to be strong enough on our own.

Within a few minutes, we were ready to go. We only had a few horses, so I would have to ride with Kaito. We gave a few quick good-byes, and set off. We rode through the night as fast as possible. Kiyoteru was depended upon to take us to the castle, since he was the only one that had ever been. His memory was a little hazy though, and I prayed that we would get there on time. The night air was cold and the only light was the moon. I carefully held onto Kaito as we raced through the night.

The entire ride made me nervous. Only now did I realize how serious this thing was. The guards could imprison us for good, or even kill us. I could've just taken away the lives of my friends, so I hope that all this is worth it. After more intense riding, we arrived at the castle. We arrived near a side with a stable. The horses were left there, and the rest of us set of to invade the castle. Kiyoteru showed us a small side entrance that he remembered. We got inside, no problem. It bothered me that there was little security. It appeared that no one cared who got in and out of the castle, like the prince's safety wasn't a priority (which I guess it wasn't). The silence was eerie.

"Where would he be?" I asked to no one in particular. "Do we even know if he's in the castle?"

"Didn't that man say something about hanging Len's body from the palace walls?" Kiyoteru asked. I nodded and shivered at the thought. "If I wanted to display a body from here," Kiyoteru explained. "I'd do it from the tower, where everyone could see it. I'd kill someone there to, so I wouldn't have to carry the body. That's where we need to check. It's a longshot, but it's the only guess we have." I trusted Kiyoteru, so we decided to check this tower.

As we walked through the castle, there were still no guards. Everything seemed deserted, until we passed by the kitchen. Cheers and hoots could be heard, along with the speech of drunken men. It seemed that there was a party inside the kitchen. That was where most of the guards were and they seemed to be celebrating something. We sneaked around the kitchen, trying not to get any unwanted attention. As soon as we were in the clear, we ran towards the tower entrance.

There were two guards there, but they didn't seem to be taking guard duty seriously. They were goofing around, enjoying themselves. We could probably distract them, and head up the stairs. Kiyoteru and Gakupo volunteered to be the distractions. They ran in front of the guards, swords in hand. The guards looked surprised, but quickly reached for their own swords. Kiyoteru and Gakupo ran off, away from the tower with the guards running behind them. If we were lucky, they would be distracted for a while.

Kaito, Mikuo and I walked up to the door and to our surprise; there was no lock on it. We quickly ran up the stairs, going as fast as our legs could take us. When we came around the last corner of the staircase, we saw another door, guarded by two more guards. We were definitely going the right way. Kaito and Mikuo immediately went on the attack. The guards didn't see it coming. Kaito and Mikuo knocked out the both of them out with their swords, being careful not to land any fatal blows. After all, the guards were just doing their jobs. There was no reason to kill them. The guards' bodies fell to the floor with a _thud._ Perfect.

I checked the next door and it too was unlocked. The security in this place was awful. I was about to go into the tower, when Kaito grabbed my hand. "We need to stay here, in case these two wake up," Kaito said. "Can you handle whatever is ahead?" I nodded, and Kaito gave me a smile. "Be careful," he whispered.

I ran into the tower room, and to my surprise it was bigger than I had expected. It was easily the size of my house in the village. I'd have to do a bit of looking. I could hear a man's laugh from around a corner, and I knew that was where I needed to look. I raced around to see the gray-haired man holding up a sword to Len. He was in the position to strike at any moment. There wouldn't be enough time for me to ready my sword and counterattack. The only way was to block the blow, and just a sword would be able to do that. I would need something bigger. I'm about to do something incredibly stupid, but I'm not going to let Len die while I'm here.

 **Len's POV**

Dell was ready to strike, and I was ready to die. There was no reason to even retaliate. I simply stood there and accepted my fate, but the sword never hit me. Instead, I heard the sickening sound of a sword in a body and heard a thud on the ground. Looking down, I saw Rin, lying there, bloodied. H-how did she get here? This can't be happening? Dell looked down at Rin, extremely confused. It was obvious that he wasn't expecting her either.

Almost as quickly as Rin had appeared, she stood back up again. I was still in shock and said nothing. There was a large wound on her side, and blood seeped through her clothes. She had her sword out now, and was standing in front of me. "Back off!" she yelled at Dell. "You won't hurt him." Dell gave her devious smile and pointed his sword at her face. "You're that pathetic bitch from that village. I don't know what you're doing here, but you'll regret that you interfered with the prince's and my personal matters."

Dell attacked, but Rin countered it. The two seemed to be in an all-out battle. I could see now that Rin was an extremely skilled swordsman, but with her wound, her stamina seemed to be failing. Dell was a man too, and he would eventually over power her. And here I was, a coward in the corner, letting Rin protect me after all the terrible things I had done to her. I sat there frozen and pathetic.

Suddenly, Dell stuck out his foot and tripped Rin. He slashed his sword at her and she fell to the ground. In most fights, that would be a dishonorable thing to do, but didn't care about honor. He was out for blood. Rin gave out a groan, and then went silent. There was a new wound on her back. Her clothes were completely bloodstained. Dell kicked her body and then turned to me. "Now that we're done with that problem, it's time for the main event," he smiled.

I noticed that Rin's sword was lying next to her, and I lunged for it. Now I had a weapon too, and it could buy me a bit of time. "Do you really think you can fight back, you pathetic brat?" Dell taunted me as he watched the sword in my hand. "No one's even ever taught you how to hold a sword! You think you can defeat me?"

Now I became angry. He was taunting me, and he hurt Rin. There was no way I could sit here any longer. I'd protect myself and help Rin, or I would die trying. I wouldn't go down without a fight. I ran at Dell, trying to remember all things Kaito had taught me. In my situation, it might be easier to resort to attacking the vulnerable points on a person's body. Dell attacked, but I blocked it with my sword. However, the force of the blow almost knocked me off of my feet. It was clear that Dell's strength was superior to mine. He came at me again, and again I blocked it, but almost fell over.

I would need a miracle to win this fight, but I wouldn't give up. For Rin, I would keep going. After a few minutes of fighting, Dell seemed irritated and I was getting tired. The fight wouldn't last much longer. I decided to give one final push of strength, and risk everything. I stepped back from the fight, which caught Dell of guard. His sword was positioned behind him, leaving his stomach area wide open. I swung my sword in the air with all my strength, and heard a sickening slice. I closed my eyes and heard Dell's body fall to the ground. He made no more noises. I looked down at his body. A huge bloody gash ran through his stomach and his face was white. He wasn't moving at all. I didn't feel guilty in the slightest. Instead, I was too worried about Rin.

I dropped the sword on the ground, and ran over to Rin's body. Her shirt was caked with blood and the wound seemed to be getting worse every moment. I grabbed her hand, and it felt colder than normal, like ice. Her face was very pale, and it didn't look like she was breathing at all. Her eyes were shut tight. A wave of emotion swept over me, and I did something that I had never done before. I began to cry.

This wasn't fair! Why does she have to die, when I'm the one who clearly deserved it? Why would she come all the way here and risk her life to save me? My tears mixed with the drops of blood on the ground, as I continued to cry. I had never felt this much emotion in my life. It felt like I had lost the most important thing I'd ever had. My first friend and the first person that I ever cared about. I sat, staring at Rin's body, just crying. I felt like the world had ended.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a young woman wearing purple, standing behind me. She seemed vaguely familiar. Still, I wondered how she had gotten in here. She wasn't there a few minutes ago. I didn't mind her though as I continued to cry. I couldn't let go of Rin's hand.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, prince?" the woman smiled. How could she be smiling at a time like this? I completely ignored her, and focused on Rin. The woman kneeled down next to me, and looked at Rin's body. Then, she looked up at my face and smiled again. "Ah, I see," she observed. "It took you long enough to break that curse," she laughed. "It wasn't even that strong of a curse, considering I was only a beginner at that time, but someone had to almost die to teach you a lesson."

I was surprised that the mysterious woman knew about my curse. Suddenly, I realized why she looked so familiar. She was the "witch" that had cast it on me. "I suppose this is a little too far for the sake of teaching you how to love though," the woman said, looking back at Rin's body. "Even I couldn't have predicted that something like this could've happened."

"Can you do anything?" I begged. She was a witch and could do magic. Maybe she could save Rin. "It's the least I could do," the purple-haired woman smiled. "She seems to be very important to you, and she's a brave girl. She deserves to live on." The woman placed her hands on Rin's stomach and murmured some strange words. The wounds on Rin's body seemed to close up, instantly, and Rin opened her eyes.

"What happened?" she groaned, showing that she was still in some pain. She looked at me and her eyes widened. "Len, you're okay!" Rin gave me a giant hug, and started to cry. "I was so worried," she sobbed. "I thought you were going to die." I hugged her in return, holding her tightly, so that she couldn't get away.

I wanted to thank the purple-haired lady, but she seemed to be gone. She vanished into thin air. Suddenly, footsteps filled the room and I saw Kaito and Mikuo standing there. "What's going on?" Kaito asked. "We heard something and got worried!" Lovely timing there. "We're fine," Rin smiled, as she broke the hug.

"Who's this guy?" Mikuo asked, pointing to Dell's dead body on the ground. "No one," I explained. I couldn't forgive Dell for hurting Rin and now he was dead because of it. "Now, I think we should leave. There are some things I have to do that can't wait until morning."


	12. Chapter 12

**Len's POV**

We left the tower. Rin held my hand tightly. It was a miracle that she was alive, but I couldn't let my guard down. Things were still dangerous. There was still a castle full of people who wanted me dead, not to mention all the rebels in town. "What are we going to do now?" Rin asked. "We hadn't thought this far."

"Do we go back?" Kaito wondered. "It would be the safest place for you," Gakupo, who had joined us, along with Kiyoteru, added. I shook my head. I couldn't go back. I had to take responsibility here. "I want you all to go back," I said. "There are things I have to do here and I can't risk any of you getting hurt. Thank you for all you've done for me."

"I'm not leaving!" Rin shouted, letting go of my hand. "We're all in this together now. That's what friends are for." Everyone else nodded in agreement. "If Rin stays, the rest of us stay," Kaito smiled. What am I going to do with these guys?

Suddenly, the dark hallway we were in was illuminated with light. There were guards holding torches standing in front of us. They must have heard our conversation. They all looked nervous and I knew why. I was supposed to be dead. "You all," I shouted. They instantly straightened in fear. "Head to the dungeons and free everyone there immediately. If you see a boy that looks like this girl here, bring him to me. Now hurry!" The guards exchanged confused glances, but quickly ran off to complete their task. They didn't want to cross me. I'm sure they believed that I would have them all executed.

"Rinto…" Rin whispered under her breath. Her face was blank. I knew now what I terrible thing I had done to her. I had ripped her only family away from her. It had been years since they last saw each other. "Let's continue," I commanded, bringing everyone into the throne room. "I'll have to make a public apology in the morning. For now, you all can stay here overnight. I'll have someone take you all to the guest rooms, except Rin. You need to stay here with me." I called out for some servants and a few maids emerged. They looked pale and frightened. They were likewise terrified of me.

"Please take these men to the guest rooms," I said. "Treat them well. They're my friends." The maids' eyes widened at the mention of "friends", but they took them away without a word. Rin and I were left alone in the room. "Are you okay?" I asked, bringing her closer to me. She still seemed to be preoccupied with thoughts of her brother. Her eyes didn't meet mine. "Yes, I'm fine," she mumbled. "Don't worry," I said, giving her a hug. She was surprised by my sudden showing of affection, but didn't reject the hug. Instead, she held me tightly. It was a wonderful feeling.

"Prince!" a voice shouted, ruining the moment. Rin and I let go of each other and turned to face a guard, who was tightly gripping a weak looking man. The man had shaggy blonde hair and was as thin as a stick. His skin was pale and he looked tired as if he might collapse at any minute. The man let the guard handle him roughly. It appeared like he didn't care about living anymore. "Release him!" I shouted. "Who told you you could be so rough with a prisoner?" The guard let go of the man and the man fell to the floor.

I turned to Rin, whose hands were covering her mouth. There were tears in her eyes. "R-Rinto!" she cried, running over to her brother, who was still collapsed on the ground. She picked up his body and laid his head in her lap. She brushed his hair out of his eyes. I could see the resemblance now. "R-Rin?" the man breathed back. It sounded like every word pained him. What happened to him? Deep in my heart, I knew that I was the reason he was like this. I had sentenced him to years of prison. It was all my fault.

"I'm here," Rin smiled. Her tears fell onto her brother's body. "It's all okay." She wrapped her arms around him and he did the same. The happiness I saw in Rin's eyes was unlike anything I had ever seen from her. I prayed that all the families that I had destroyed would someday be reunited like this.

Rin helped her brother stand up. He could barely keep on his feet. "Rinto," Rin said, bringing him towards me. "This is Len." Rinto looked at me with empty eyes. I could feel the anger. "Don't hate him please," Rin begged. "He's my friend and he helped me get you back. I know he's done a lot of bad things, but he's going to fix them, right?" I nodded in response. "I care about your sister very much," I said in a serious tone. "I'll never let anything like this happen to her again." With those words, Rinto gave me a smile and I felt like everything in the world would finally be okay.

 **Epilogue**

On that night, every prisoner was set free. Guards helped people return to their families and helped give out the aid that the prince had provided for everyone he had wronged. News quickly reached the little village on the outskirts of the land about the freeing of the prisoners and the sudden change of heart of the prince. Finally, everyone could be at peace. However, no one left the little village. They loved their friends so much, they had become a family. They could never leave each other. With time, the village grew in size as more people moved in to reunite with their families.

Only months after the prince's reinstatement on the throne, a grand wedding was announced between the prince and a young peasant girl. Though she was not of nobility, no one argued against their marriage. Everyone knew that she was the reason the prince was able to love again. And so, a beautiful wedding was held in the palace and prince and young girl's friends were all invited. There wedding was followed by many others of their best friends.

The land fell back into an era of peace. No one lived in fear and hardly anyone was sent to the dungeons. The country prospered and people were well-fed. It was one of the greatest times in the country's history all thanks to the rule of a young prince and his princess.


End file.
